


Tortured Mind and Sharpened Blades

by Soulless_Curse



Category: Cable and Deadpool, Deadpool (2016), Deadpool (Comics), Deadpool - All Media Types, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Deadpool - Freeform, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-20 22:31:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 70,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6027772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulless_Curse/pseuds/Soulless_Curse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deadpool is assigned mentor duty for Nick Fury's adopted daughter. Hesitant at first, he opens up when she actually treats him like a human. Flirting with Fury's kid is awfully dangerous when you aren't exactly the office favourite. Anything worth having comes with a fight, and Deadpool's just crazy enough to win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Meeting in Great Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Moving this over from another site. It is my work, not a "hey can i move ur story?" deal.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.

I keep nodding off. People are talking but I'm not listening.

_Maybe you should be._

"They never listen to me," I mumble.

"That's because you're crazy. The only thing you offer is comic relief that, surprisingly, no one asks for. Also, I do it better," Tony says. The casual tone and lack of any actual emotion in his voice doesn't bother me today. It usually does. It doesn't now.

_Maybe it should._

"Stop making suggestions that I don't like," I grumble back.

"Then make your own," Peter says, sounding exasperated. I stare at them. "Were you even listening?" I lean back and wait for someone to explain what I'm missing.

"Remember about, oh, twenty years ago, when there was that huge attack on..." Yeah, I want to listen to someone who wasn't even around for the greatest joke set ups in history. Internet memes that reference stuff in the 70s and 80s - pure comic gold - just sails right over his head. "...so he thought, to teach you some responsibility, YOU would be the one given the case. Naturally, well..."

"Naturally, we think you're the worst choice for this," Wolverine spits. I tilt my head at him.

"Yeah, well, I want the job. Give it to me, let me do it," I snap at him, standing, getting in his face.

_This isn't a good idea, you only have half a friend in this room. And that's not the half coming through right now._

"Maybe I'll make them all halves." I wish I wouldn't do that. I need to stop.

"That's exactly why - you're not stable enough to care for yourself, you certainly couldn't-" I punch him. I punch Wolverine right in his stupid head with his stupid ugly hair.

_Are you bitter or is it really just ugly as shit?_

"No. Wolverine has God awful hair," I say. That makes one whole time I'm glad I can't stop myself. He swings back, he's faster than me, and his stupid hand-razors go right through my neck. I cough-

_Is that your blood? Spraying from your mouth? Unless it's the hot sauce from last night it's probably your blood. You should be worried though if it is, in fact, the hot sauce. Mostly because it shouldn't be in your throat, but rather your intestines._

-and I can't even answer. Someone dislodges them from my trachea, and I try to suck in as much air as I can. I can feel my body mending itself. It's still something I feel. Or hear. It never just happens without me thinkng about it. I thought I'd be used to it by now. Nope. The door slams open, and my vision starts refocusing. A very aptly named Nick Fury has showed up and is looking at us with no hint of being amused. At all.

"Has anyone come up with a reason better than mine yet?" he asks. His voice is calm. He's scary when he's calm. Mostly because the opposite of his actions and his name start a weird OCD feeling. He's met with silence. Then Capatin I Don't Get It points at me.

"He said he wants the job. He said to let him do it."

_Should we be arguing? You probably don't want this, it's probably something like cleaning the bathrooms._

"Do I want to know how that's related to explosions?" I ask disgustedly.

"See, he can't go 60 seconds without talking to himself," Captain What's That Mean says.

"I've managed to keep more control over transforming than he has over his mouth," Hulk says.

"ENOUGH."

_Is Nick Fury standing up for you?_

"I'm choosing him, because none of y'all came up with anything better than 'he talks a lot' which can be said for most of you," he says, eyeing Tony. Tony looks at his shoes. "Wade, with me." I hug the wall, trying to stay as far away from everyone as I can. As soon as I'm out of the room, Fury stops me, standing in my way, looking at me very seriously.

"You weren't paying any attention. But now would be a good time to start."

_Or we could think of funny words like smorgasbord or snickersnee or your favourite, chimichanga._

"Shut up, trying to listen," I blurt. Fury looks at me like he's trying to be patient but losing the battle.

"Twenty years ago, during that massive explo-"

"The one caused by that weird experiment-exhausted lizard that everyone ended up calling Godzilla that I killed by unzipping its spine from its body? I'd like to point out that it wasn't Godzilla, because it didn't have any spikes on its back," I point out. "Also I was able to convince the homeless shelters to use the meat in their... food. Then all the hobos got sick, and the city smelled worse than-"

"Yes, that explosion," he says with that impatient tone coming through.

"The explosion caused by the living lizard god or the homeless vomit-bombs?"

"I found a young girl. She was 5. Now she's older and wants to work here at SHIELD. She's going to stay with you for the next few weeks to watch what you do and see if she actually likes this hero job," he says quickly.

"Can I consider us a couple?" I ask.

"You cannot," he says firmly.

"So I need to pretend she's my cousin, will do," I say holding my hand out to shake. He sighs and shakes my hand.

"Great. so if you'll just keep walking this way-"

"Walk like I have a stick so far up my ass even the world's best proctologist couldn't help me?" I taunt. No reaction. He leads me into a room, empty save for one other person standing at the window looking outside. Even turned slightly away from me I can tell she's pretty. Not gorgeous, not stupid sexy. Just pretty. Olive complexion, dead-leaf brown hair in a single thick braid down her back. Short, very short, an inch or two over 5 ft. Not skinny, not fat. And more expression in her eyes than I see in some peoples' entire faces. Her very grassy green eyes.

_And there's your cousin!_

"I don't know if I actually have any cousins."

"Try not to do that," Fury hisses at me. When she turns around she doesn't look terribly impressed with me. Actually she just looks like a puppy that's heard a weird noise and has this confused yet curious mix going on in its head. "Guinevere, this is Deadpool." I look at Fury. I don't want to do this. Changed my mind.

"Just remembered, goldfish is on fire, I'm busy for the next few weeks. Captain What's So Funny is available though," I say nervously. Guinevere lets out a breath.

"I don't like him," she says flatly. "He never gets my jokes." I look back at Fury, who looks very smug.

"Goldfish can take care of itself," I answer his unasked question. He nods.

"Did you match us up on our mutual dislike of Frisbee Shield?" she asks him.

_Oh, that's good. Not as good as Captain Derogatory Stuff._

"Captain Derogatory Stuff offers more freedom than focusing on the shield but that's still good," I say. At least that sounded relevant. A smile ghosts over her lips.

"You have a job, too. You'll know when the job starts" he tells her with his hands on her shoulders. She looks back at him with a completely unexplainable expression. "If you have any of the troubles I suggested you might, call me."

"I'm not worried. And I'm not sure you should be either. You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't trust him," she says. He doesn't answer, looks away from her. She ducks her head, trying to catch his eyes again. "Right?"

"Just call me every morning, ok?" he says. She smiles, more with her eyes than her lips.

_That's your cousin, remember?_

"Yeah, cousin. Right. Window shopping is ok," I answer. Stop that. She looks at me.

"Did they feed you yet? It's late, y'know, about the time most start thinking of dinner," she says. She sounds happy. I don't get it. Is there something stuck on my mask I can't see? I run my hand over my face. Don't feel anything. "Too tired to get food?"

"No. Just surprised I didn't think of that. Usually it's my favourite thing. That and using Wolverine's car when he leaves his keys just laying around and returning it with "How did that get there?"s, but mostly eating," I keep looking at Fury like he's going to yell at me for saying something wrong.

"Go out, have a nice dinner. Talk. And please, Guinevere, call me in the morning so I know nothing's happened," Fury half pleads. She laughs a bit incredulously at him.

"Relax. We'll both be fine," she assures him. And she floats past me out the door, just expecting me to follow. And I do. "Don't let him intimidate you."

"Huh?"

"He's incredibly protective of me, don't let that scare you. I have some serious dirt on him that makes him drastically less scary," Guinevere says smugly. The security stops us at the door.

"Are you actually going with this guy on purpose, Guinevere?" one of them asks. She steps closer to me, and I take a step away. Not happening.

"Yes. Call up Nick Fury, up in his office, bother him and waste his time if you don't believe me," she says airily. Both men pale and step aside. I don't say anything, just get the door for her. It got dark fast. The single light hanging on the metal awning is all that lights this section of sidewalk. But the sky is clear and the moon is just full enough to light the path to the main street. Walking with her feels like I'm walking someone's puppy.

 _You've compared her to a puppy twice now_.

"Yeah but she's all distracted and looking at everything like a puppy," I try to rationalise. In front of her. Within ear shot.

"I'm observant. Sometimes it comes in handy. Not usually, but sometimes," she tells me. When we hit the busy street, the crowded sidewalks, she steps closer to my side again. This time I just let her. Been a while since anyone's wanted to be less than a couple hundred feet from me.

_Don't hold her hand or anything. Cousin? Eyepatch Fury?_

"I'm not great at being social. Anticipate long awkward silences," she says suddenly. I rub my eyes through my mask. Yeah, I am actually tired. Cooped up all day in the stupid SHIELD quarters, now I'm suddenly having third thoughts about this.

"I'm usually pretty mouthy but that whole 'behave yourself' thing isn't something I really warmed up to. So I sorta just shut down," I answer. "I'll peg long awkward silences as a guarantee."

"I don't mind it," Guinevere continues. "I'm not terribly talkative, even with people I do know. A lot can be said without actually saying anything." I nod.

"I get that a lot. Dirty looks or people turning away from me or people sighing at me or, my favourite, me walking into a room and everyone shutting up." Why am I telling her all this?

"I don't think people deserve to be treated like that," she says as she jams her hands into her pockets. "Anyone, not you specifically." Ouch. "Well, you too."

_Maybe she'll be nice._

"I'll still be mostly lonely," I shoot myself down.

"I'll do the best I can to be tolerable company," she says with a laugh to her voice. No more third thoughts. I'm back to being ok with this. "Where are we going? Are we just aimlessly drifting til we find a place that doesn't look creepy? It's cold. Not to make a fuss," Guinevere asks. I look around. I was actually heading home. I'd forgotten about eating. Little bit distracted.

"That place there at the corner? Looks a bit shady but I promise there's less to worry about there than there is at your average McDonald's" I assure her. She looks at it, sizing it up.

"Any port in a storm," she answers finally. We stop at the corner and my mind wanders off a bit.

_Feelings? Nothing. Not scared? No, not trusting yet but not scared. She isn't like them. Nick Fury wouldn't raise a demon child. I didn't think he'd raise any children at all._

Her hand brushing mine wakes me up. The light's changed but I hadn't noticed. What I am noticing is that I do suddenly very much want to hold her hand. But I don't. I can't.


	2. Sinister Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade and Nev get slightly better acquainted.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
Sinister Kid is a song by The Black Keys - I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

This is very awkward. I don't have a lot of experience with women outside of the annoying ones I sometimes work with or the one nighters that are out the door as soon as I'm up and pushing them that way. They can't be that different from guys right? The plumbing's just different. I don't get along with too many guys, either. You know, just people. Argh.

"You aren't as mouthy as your alias suggests," Guinevere tells me. She's not looking at me. She's looked at me maybe twice. She looks past me, or at my stomach, or out windows.

"I only get mouthy when I get cocky which might be more often than is fully necessary. No, that isn't possible. I always deserve it. Anyway, you're right, and there is a reason." I wait for her to say something. She doesn't. Not right away.

"What happened to your throat?" she asks finally.

_Huh? Oh, the suit's still ripped up from Logan trying to give the class a human throat anatomy lesson. At least be polite about it._

"Wolverine's a prick," I answer.

_That wasn't polite at all._

"But it was honest." I can't stop even in front of a near-stranger. Dandy.

"Dad said-"

"Wait, dad? He said he found you somewhere. Also I'm not sure with his skin tone that he could... You know, let's not worry about that. Continue," I stumble. Great save, me! She smiles.

"I was 5. He said I could call him dad if it made me feel better. So I did. He told me," her voice lowers here, "that you hear voices, that you often talk back. He said it's harmless." I try to study her expression. She's looking at me now but thank Jeebus for the mask. I don't know what to say and it's possible I look very terrified.

_And for someone so handsome, terrified expressions would start clawing away at your great looks._

"I'm not terribly handsome anymore," is all that comes out. She looks down at her empty plate.

"Well, I won't be one to yank off your mask just for the sake of finding out," Guinevere tells me. "I imagine you'll take it off when you're comfortable."

"What else has Fury told you about me?"

"Not a lot. He said everyone kind of thinks you're a joke and that you frustrate him because Peter keeps insisting you are capable of so much more than bad puns." She looks at me again. "For wearing a mask, your expression just fits everything."

_Our puns aren't bad._

"My puns are hilarious, thank you," I argue. I know all of that shit and I don't want to deal with it. Not in public. Not now. And certainly not with someone I just met. "Is there anything I can call you that's shorter than Guinevere?" It's three syllables. That's long.

"Nev. It's weird and unusual and turns heads. Fits with the whole super hero theme going on doesn't it?" She's aware that it's hit a nerve when she does look at me. I felt myself tense up.

"I knew a girl I called Ness once. Nice girl," I say woodenly.

_Are you going to tell her the whole story? Little heavy for a first date._

"It's not a date if I pretend she's my cousin." I look at Nev. "It's a long story and I don't really wanna talk about it though." Good thing I ate my fill. Certainly not hungry now.

_Can you call her Nev without it killing you? Maybe you can get some other nickname like Guin or Vere or Debby._

"Debby makes me think of Zebra Cakes." I look at her. "You like Zebra Cakes? I was initially disappointed there's no actual zebra in them but they're great anyway." She stands and I follow suit.

"We keep an entire pantry shelf lined with boxes of them. I tried those chocolate cakes with the little chocolate chips on them, and really, they weren't bad," she says, fumbling for her wallet. Fury knows I don't have any money. This still feels awful. "But they just aren't the same. Also, they really cheat you out of the chocolate chips."

"I'm not sure why you'd go trying to find a replacement for a perfectly good 'I don't want to know what its made of' cake anyway," I tell her. We step outside together, and she pulls her coat in tighter to her. It is quite cold out, being winter and all.

"Why are we walking? Don't you have a car?" she asks, trying to mask the irritation in her voice.

"I had a car. I may or may not have thrown it in the middle of a fight to make a distraction. The good news is, while he was distrcted, I cut his head off. Was it really a loss? I say no," I explain, feeling proud. One of the few times I wasn't yelled at for doing something that was probably very reckless.

"And who is he?" Nev asks.

"Not some low level target, if that's what you're thinking. He was very dangerous. He had a gun that was fully half loaded!"

_Are you trying to convince yourself that the guy was really all that important or trying to make her laugh? Isn't she still your cousin?_

"I can say funny things to family members and have it not be creepy," I pout. She pokes my arm. "Fury said I can't try to hit on you. So you're my cousin. Cause that's gross. I mean, I guess Edgar Allen Poe did it but look where it got him," I say quickly.

"Famous almost 165 years after his death and hailed as one of the greatest poets to pick up a pen?" she asks with an eyebrow raised.

"No. Because I'm pretty sure he used a quill." This makes her chuckle. When we arrive at my tiny excuse for a house, we just stand there, staring at the door. For some reason I'm waiting for it to just open. Nev gives a quiet cough.

"It's your house. I'm sure you have a key," she urges. I blink at her, then dig around in... every pocket I have. And I have a lot of pockets. Rubber bouncy ball. Thermos. Slinky. Lightbulb. Spray bottle of something pink. Pencil sharpener. Key. My house key. "Do you need all of that stuff?" she asks, sounding skeptical.

"The next time you're sad and need a good laugh, I'll just remind you that you're the one who questioned the need of the lightbulb and pencil sharpener," I warn.

_Like the time you handed Daredevil a pen and told him to plug it into the electric sharpener._

"I should feel worse about pranking blind people," I muse aloud.

"But don't because really, it's funny. At least the very first time is. I don't care who you are, it's funny," Nev argues for me.

_Oh look, she can talk to us!_

"I like that you don't just tell me to shut up. I'm not sure how relevant you can make some of my outbursts though. Sometimes brain says some really colourful shit," I tell her.

_Purple orange green!_

"You're just a person, like any other. If there's one thing dad taught me, it's to not be terrible to people. To at least be humane." Nev states this with such a serious tone that I suddenly don't want any further part of the discussion. She stifles a yawn as she stands in the doorway. She seems too nervous to step in. Too bad, the house is reatively clean now.

_Look how late it is. Tell her to go to bed._

"The heater's broke so all I have is this space heater. We can put it in my room, you can have the bed and I'll just sleep out here," I offer. She shakes her head.

"I like couch sleeping. Dad used to wonder about me, I have a great room with a ballin' bed, but I will ocassionally sleep on the couch just for the sake of it," she insists. I flick the heater on. It's not very strong but it keeps the chill off.

_That's it? Gonna hog all the blankets?_

"It'd be even."

_No, don't be rude. Plus if she gets sick Fury will do worse to you than assigning you a day of cleaning up after Hulk's rampage._

"Ok. I'll get the stupid blanket. We only have one, just a reminder," I grumble.

"Keep it. If you only have one. The heater's enough. Promise," Nev says quickly. Her empathy for me-

_Is that what you're gonna go with? Empathy? For you?_

-is softening me. I mean outside of having to be nice because, hey, Pirate Fury's kid is like a regular pirate's treasure. Off limits and to be guarded completely. I don't know what to say again. Awkward roomie-cousin hug? Nah.

"'Night." I turn and disappear into my room, hearing her respond likewise. Door locked? Costume off. If she doesn't know she's not going to. Not yet.

* * *

_Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up._

The deadbolt clunks quietly as I unlock the door. I shimmy the key back out and manage to get the door open, closed, locked again with my left hand. I choke back a throatful of blood.

_Don't put weight on your right foot._

My eyes tear up at the shooting pain when I do so anyway. It'll all be healed up within the next few minutes, it's already slightly better than it was, but it still hurts like hell. I drop down onto the first seat of the couch.

_Why is the heater on in here? You usu- Oh fuck. You were JUST trying not to-_

"Deadpool?"

"Sorry. I forgot you were staying here." I try to stand but, wrong leg, and collapse back down. It's dark, the glow from the heater does little to actually light the room. But I feel Nev shift and now she's sitting to my left. My undamaged side, at least.

"You ok?" She sounds genuinely concerned.

"Late night 'Hey a bad guy, let's make Deadpool do it so we can stay in bed' run," I answer bitterly. Nev is quiet. I half expect some sort of backlash. I get her hand on my arm instead. I lean back and close my eyes. "I won. Well, I'm sure SHIELD will want some answers. That'll be kinda hard because he's dead. But he's off the streets. I don't actually know what he did. "Stop the guy in the puke green shirt with the baby poop green hat" was all I got. Killed him for his shit fashion taste if nothing else." Talking to her- to someone other than my brain- feels nice.

"Wanna go to bed?" she asks.

"Uh huh."

"Need help getting there?"

"Uh huh." She stands. The loss of her presence so close to my side makes me open my eyes. She's at my other side now, ready to help me hoist myself up. I'm probably mostly ok to walk on my own. I just don't want to. I inhale sharply as my right shoulder rotates.

 _Few more minutes, you baby_.

"Feels like the more I need it, the longer it takes."

"Your healy thing?" Nev guesses.

"Yeah. Should only be like another five minutes, but..." She helps me ease myself down so I'm sitting on the edge of my bed. "Just because I can't die doesn't mean this shit doesn't hurt. You wanna know what Logan did, why the suit was ripped? He was trying to see what colour my trachea is. Yeah, it healed, but it hurt like all fuck and I'm not real fond of coughing up blood, which I've now done twice in 24 hours, which is twice more than I enjoy."

I can see her now, my eyes having adjusted to the dark. She's looking right back at me, sincere and listening and not yelling at me or insulting me.

"I'm sorry. If it means anything, dad and Peter are actually trying. Maybe not as hard as they should. Maybe I can do something about it." She hugs me, briefly, safely. No face smashed in her boobs or anything. "Goodnight, Deadpool."

"I don't mind if you call me Wade. Only Parker ever does and it's not very often. Wade is good," I say, stopping her as she steps from my room. She looks past me, out my window. Processing this. She looks at my right arm which I think has gone back to normal, then to my still masked face.

"Goodnight, Wade."


	3. Quick Handed Temper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade goes on his first mission with Nev in tow.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**

* * *

"No, nothing happened. I slept on the couch and he stayed in his room. No fires or weird sounds or anything." Pause.  
"He woke me when he slipped back into the house at three in the morning. Was he really the only-" Pause.  
"Well, tell her to stop." Pause.  
"I can't just care about a person without being in love with them? Really?" Pause.  
"I don't want him coming in at retardo hours with his healing factor in overdrive." Pause.  
"Just because he can doesn't mean he should have to."

_Eavesdropping is rude._

"Someone's saying not horrible things though. And they're saying it about me. And to Nick Fury. And it's a girl," I ramble, starting to feel better.

_Yeah she's your cousin._

"No she isn't."

_Nick Fury's almost-daughter is just as bad as a cousin. That's why she's labeled as cousin._

There's a slamming noise, and a broken plastic noise. I heave myself up and go for a clean suit. I was given three initially, but every few fights I'd complain one was ruined beyond repair and get a new one. Now I have 87 but they caught on a few months ago and stopped giving me new ones. I try to slip into the room without her noticing. She's standing at the door – it's open but the screen door isn't, and she's watching outside things.

"Sorry about your wall," she says without turning to me. I look around the room – and her phone is lodged in the wall by the TV. "I love Fury but sometimes his hypocrisy really drives me batshit."

_Thanks for defending me. Thanks for being nice. Thanks for giving me a reason to get all emotional and needy again._

"I'm not feeling needy," I argue.

"We don't have to feel needy, but we can be friends and I can demand equal treatment. I'm not under the impression that that's a lot to ask for," she replies. "I am really sorry about the wall."

"I wasn't aware you could throw cell phones that hard," is all I can manage. She nods.

"I didn't either. I'm sorry. Again," Nev says in a frustrated tone.

"It's ok. The walls here have been punched through, shot through, blown completely off… I'm not too worried. I can get it fixed. Or, to save money unless you want the phone back, we can leave it there and pretend its art," I offer. She goes over to it and gently pulls it loose. She pops the back off, and pulls out a small chip.

"The phone can stay, but I want the SIM card," Nev tells me as she replaces the phone. "We can get... I can go by myself, it isn't a big deal." I wait for her to continue, but she seems to have dropped the thought.

"Go where?"

"I need a new phone. I'm not going to bother Fury, I'm just gonna go and get one and handle it. You're not a baby sitter, so you aren't required to go," she says.

"Assuming I don't get stuck doing something stupid I don't mind going. Haven't done much aside from SHIELD when I feel like it and hiding here," I admit.

_Now you look like a creepy recluse. Good job, that'll make her like you!_

"I'm not supposed to be trying to woo her. Cousin? Dying in gutters?" I offer remindingly.

"How about this," Nev starts. "Instead of answering yourself, talk to me. Even if you've gone totally off topic, do it anyway."

"Why? I was made very aware that no one cares what I say. And don't say. But apparently they can't hear anything – the voices are so loud, they're right here, I don't get why no one else can hear them. Not my fault, but they've made it my problem," I rant. Nev is letting her hair down, unbraiding it and letting her kinked hair hall around her shoulders.

_She's too pretty to be your cousin. You're proof that there's no pretty in your bloodlines._

"You're pretty," I let slip. She smiles, giggles a bit.

"Well. Thank you. It's almost 9. We should probably head out," she says slowly.

_Work. Ugh. Doing things. Sounds hard._

"Just because I show up doesn't mean I help them," I say. "So being late's kind of OK. Sometimes I just flat out don't show up. Sometimes for weeks. I still get jobs, just not from them."

"Well for the next two weeks or so, we'll go with interrupted regularity," she says. She's already outside. I follow begrudgingly, closing the door, locking it-

_Key is on the left, second from the inside._

-and I drag myself along behind her. As soon as we hit the building, I've got 6 security chumps on me. I grab for my weapons, trying to figure out what I could have possibly done while I wasn't here to make everyone angry. Fury approaches us.

"There's one thing I can tell you about this place, Wade. It's that it has the best heating and air conditioning system we can find. Can't fight terrorists if you're too busy trying to cool off or warm up." He looks very serious, but I'm not feeling it.

_Don't make him mad._

"Nev, I'm going to piss him off. Ok, listen to what you just said. Warm up, cool off. Why isn't is warm up and cool down, or warm on and cool off? Ever ask yourself about that shit? It keeps me awake. Frequently. Send that to the suggestion committee. Also, propose we say Earth rise and Earth set. I don't care what your plans are today, but I'm simplifying the English language," I tell Fury. A very muffled giggle behind me relaxes me, but my weapons are still very ready for the slightest 'come get me'.

"Stand down." Fury rubs his face. "Wade, do you know what happens to a dead body when you shove it in the heating duct?" he asks me. I stare blankly. "Bruce's room needs… renovating. Still living on Adams Street, right? The bill is yours. A thank you gift. For future references, being a man of science does not mean he wants to see the effects of heat on a dead human body. It makes him angry." Fury gives me a smarmy grin. "Floor 52, your favourite one-time enemy wants to see you," he says. "Nev, with me. They'll call for you when they're ready." She walks past me to him, looking at me with a brightness in her eyes that hasn't been directed at me for a very long time. I sheathe my weapons and make for the elevator. I haven't heard from Cable in a while. Honestly I kind of thought he'd run off.

"Still playing by your old ways, Wilson?" he asks. "You're late."

"Yeah but it's 8am somewhere, so if we went by that time zone, I'm right on time," I reason.

"You never could take anything seriously. Still can't seem to grow up." He gives me a look down his nose.

_He's just testing you. Say something smart._

"I know he's testing me." I think frantically searching for some quote I can try to pass off as mine. "What's the point in being a grown up if you can't act like a kid sometimes?"

_Nailed it._

"You took that from Doctor Who." Damnit. "Pleasantries aside-"

"You thought that was pleasant?"

"The school is expecting a handful of recruits in early next week. Someone is planning for the building to not be here by the time that day arrives," Cable continues. "I've been tracking various names, their activities. And one stood out. One wants to see this place burn, with all of us inside. He spits on mutants, he says."

"I'm technically not a mutant, I was rejected from Project X remember?"

_Or did you ESCAPE?_

"Yeah it's possible I escaped though. The details are a little fuzzy."

"For once in your life, think of someone other than yourself!" he snaps at me.

"Yeah, think of who? THEM? The team that's so ready to snub me because, oh that's Deadpool, he hears VOICES! But it's totally ok that Logan has razor fingers in his hand that he can just pop out whenever, or that Parker can climb up walls, or that Bruce is FUCKING GREEN! No, I don't think they need to have anyone looking out for them," I argue. "Whatever your stupid mission is, do it yourself." I start for the door but he shuts it.

"I'm going to take this group out. You're going with me,' he says with finality.

_Aren't you supposed to be training Nev?_

"Yeah I am. I can make something up." I say shaking my head.

"Still talking to yourself then," Cable says. "Still seeing the words in boxes, or just hearing them?" The sarcasm blinds me. I grab one of my blades and knock him to the ground, the sharp part up to his throat just enough to draw a tiny thread of blood. "We fight for the same team. And I'm well aware of your assignment from Fury. "

"If this is gonna be too dangerous she's not coming," I say quickly.

_You idiot, you're getting payed extra. Conning is only fun when the guy you're conning isn't scary as shit._

Cable throws me off of him, taking advantage of my distracted state. He pages Fury.

"We're ready, send her up," he says, eyes on me. I'm really glad my suit has a full mask. Horrible death glare full of hate and daggers and battery acid. When the door opens and she comes in, Cable offers her a smile. Sit down. Water? Here's the mission, are you ready? I don't say anything to her as we leave. We pass Fury, who stops us.

"If anything goes wrong, if it gets too heavy, we got back up ready. Just let us know, got it?" he asks, looking at us all. I climb into the jet and cross my arms as I sit, being very clear that I'm not ok with this. I don't actually remember why anymore. I went for my blade and I remember being thrown off guard with Nev's name being dragged in.

_You LIKE her!_

"I don't have a lot of choice here, do I?" I sigh. Nev settles next to me – the jet is small, it carries three people and a pilot. At least it isn't Cable. Because fuck that guy. He sits behind us.

"Why do you seem so angry?" she asks in a hushed voice.

"I don't want to do this. I don't remember why. I don't know if I'm angry that I forgot or angry over why I'm doing this," I say, feeling unsorted. For the people in the building. The ones that don't… Right. "I don't want to save the people in that building." That came out horribly and it's reflected in her face.

_Frowns don't suit her._

"Save them because they won't save you," she says. I look away from her and out the window. I didn't listen to anything, I don't know where we're going, what we're up against. I'll figure it out when we get there.

* * *

"Stay here. You can see fine, here's a nifty pair of binoculars. If you get bored, bird watch," I tell Nev quickly.

"At night? In BFE?" she asks. She's miffed because we aren't taking her with us into combat.

"Yeah, but at night they're called bats," I say, patting her head. She gives me a shoo motion with her hand. I turn and hop from the jet. It's an open plaza, abandoned, middle of the desert. I was told there'd be no need for more than just the two of us. I give Cable a dirty look.

"You don't have to like them. Just take the moral high road," he says.

"Just tell me who to kill so we can get the hell out of here," I snap at him.

_Kill him, go back to the jet, go home. Easy._

"I won't kill him. Yet."

"If you mean me, that's a very good plan." Cable points. "That middle building, we're going to blow it up. But we have to get there first. Go right. You can handle a few guards right?" he asks. I start heading that way, just to finish the job. "Didn't say 'go', Wilson!"

"Just did, chief!" I break into a sprint. 50 feet from the walls, we start getting shot at. Like a couple bullets are gonna stop me. I climb a staggered array of crates, vault up onto the top of the wall, not breaking stride, shooting my way along until I get to a sweet spot to aim for. I jump down, tuck and roll, don't shoot myself. Where's Cab... There. Gunfire flashing from his own mini battles. It's a long distance to our main goal, and there are a lot of people all trying to stop us. They're failing horribly.

"Waste of my money, hiring you!" A woman? "Kill them, you fucking slackjaws!" I didn't see where she was. I don't see anything when I get cracked upside my head.

_That isn't true, you're seeing white and some coloured spots._

Somewhere in the background I think I can hear Cable yelling for me to not go down. I swing blindly, going from gun to blade, staggering around.

_Yeah, very glorious._

I feel a hand grad my wrist and it drags me off. Still blind with pain, I try to swing but lose the blades. Arms grab me now.

"Stop, Wilson. And shut up." I fall in a heap on the floor. I really hope Cable didn't just drop us into the main building. I'm not ready. Really.. hope..


	4. We Just Get Lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bad guy is... a woman. Wade and Nev watch a duckless duck pond.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**

* * *

"Well well. I was hoping you'd wake up," a female voice. Not Nev. "More fun to kill you when you're awake to feel it."

_Why would it be her?_

"I want it to be her I guess," I slur. My mouth tastes like metal. "Cable?"

"We made it, just not the way I intended," he says. I look up to try to see where we are. Nope, no idea. The woman is dressed in such a manner that it's clear she's in charge here. She opens a crate at her feet. "Not who I was expecting but we'll defeat her anyway." She laughs at us.

"This will be sent out in just a few moments. Just a few moments. And we'll have one less division of you mutants. Filthy beasts," she spits.

"I wasn't aware there were multiple divisions," I say. She laughs. Ugly black eyes and ugly black hair and crooked yellowed teeth and skin just hinting at age. She starts prattling on again about "Mutants killed my daddy" or something. I'm busy feeling out my restraints. Sloppy work. I can see my belt, my weapons, all in the corner. The one furthest from me. I'll have to be fast. I yank my arms free and manage to get my blades.

_Guns are more fun._

"Blades are extensions of my arms, more finesse and so much smoother!" Now it's time to wipe this place off the map, along with everyone trying to kill us. I'm better. Faster. That guy's in two pieces, that guy's missing a head, Cable's free and I missed his major arteries, and we wipe out the entire warehouse. But not the woman. I don't even know her name. I don't care, she's going to die.

"Wilson! Back door!" I turn just in time to see someone, with the crate, of course, hustling out the door. I'm fast. Very fast. Can't see me fast. I knock him forward, a blade in each lung if I calculated that right. The pilot at the waiting enemy jet makes a reach for the crate but I slit his belly open.

_Don't do that again if you're going to have to watch everything fall out._

I grab the crate and run back to the warehouse. Cable has subdued Crazy Bomb Lady. He's got her tied to one of the chairs we'd been tied to. She's laughing.

"You can't get rid of us all. Someone-"

"Will replace you, yeah, they all say shit like that. Cable, start running for the jet. B R T," I say trying to figure out how the bomb works.

"You're not going to blow yourself up, Wilson…" he says, his voice low, like he's afraid I'm going to sacrifice myself.

"Not on purpose. Don't let any warehouse confetti hit Nev, I'll be in trouble," I say. "Go. Now." I hear him leaving.

"Be careful, Wilson," he tells me, and he's gone.

_You need about a quarter of that to level this building._

"But ALL OF IT will look prettier!" I muse out loud. "Set for one minute… Why'd you make these buttons so small?" The lady's still laughing hysterically. What the hell did Cable do to her?

_And why was the fucking set button right by the second button?!_

"Who designed this thing?" I stuff the crate under the woman's chair, grab my weapons, and book it. Sixty seconds became 37 when I fat-fingered the button. Fucking gloves. I can hear the building blow behind me, feel heat, but I'm definitely not in danger. I'm actually trying to get my belt on, get the weapon holsters on, basically redress myself as I run. I slow to a walk-

_You're out of shape, you can barely breathe._

-once I see the jet. They're ready to go, engines are going and everything. I haul myself in, drop into the seat I'd had before. And I'm promptly smacked on the arm by a very displeased looking Nev.

"Cable said he thought you were going to blow yourself up," she says quietly, still not wanting him to hear us. I shake my head.

"I definitely tried. Fucking buttons on that bomb, set 37 seconds instead of 60," I breathe. "Didn't actually mean to do that."

_There you go, now she's smiling and not frowning or scowling._

* * *

I don't remember falling asleep. But when I wake up I find Nev leaning into me, also asleep. The little GPS screen says we have about 15 minutes until we land. And I'm frozen with Nev.

_You have 15 minutes to figure this one out._

How to wake her? Gently. I let her stay asleep a few minutes more before actually waking her. Hand on her shoulder. Arm around her to reach better. I don't mind this.

_COUSIN! COUSIN!_

"Who are you trying to kid?" I give her shoulder a squeeze. "Nev. Wake up time." She bows her head, nestling more against me. I stiffen, not wanting to move. She sits up from my side but I'm not sure that's what I want.

"Did I fall asleep on you? I'm sorry," she rushes, looking embarrassed. I have to resist putting my arm around her again.

"No biggie. You're not drooly like Cable-"

"'Scuse you?"

"So I'm not gonna make a big deal about it," I tell her with a nod. She laughs, looking behind us at Cable.

"I will now set up cameras to catch your drooling in action," she threatens.

"It was once, and I'd been drugged by – Oh, forget it," he says, slouching in his seat. Nev gives me a thumbs up. It's getting dark here in the US by the time we land (I still have no idea where we were or who we just killed), but a handful of very pleased people are out waiting for us. I really just want to go home. I'm not used to the praise and at least for now, I don't want it. Maybe they'll just-

"Great job, Cable!" A beaming Captain Please Explain That is enthusiastically shaking his hand. Nev looks from Cable to me, Cable's looking at me. I shake my head. He can have the credit. Easier for me to leave. I slip away, around the other side of the roof, through the door, down the stairs… I can hear someone following me.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Nev asks.

"I don't wanna stay here, and I don't want to hear them struggle between 'good job' and 'did you really do that or is Cable trying to make you look good', and I REALLY don't want to deal with the paper work," I confess.

_Oh, and I want to get home and try to make second base._

"No, not that." She gives me a nudge as we step into the elevator, but I don't bother explaining myself.

"Just remembered you don't have a car. I still should really get a new phone, but I'm not so adventurous that I'm calling downtown 'walking distance'," she says as we hit the front door. I push the door open for her and actually feel a weird relief as I hear it close behind us.

"If you're worried about calling Fury tomorrow, just use my phone. I have everyone's numbers, but only two of them were consensual," I say proudly. She shakes her head, smiling. "Why don't you drive?"

"I've never needed to. And now I'm probably the only college aged girl who's got zero interest in it," she replies with just a hint of distaste.

"You realise the kinds of cars Fury could get you are the ones people have wet dreams about," I say, puzzled.

"We already have them," she chuckles. No use pressing the matter. "I'll just have him get me another phone tomorrow. I don't want to be out much more. Your place sounds like a good idea."

"That's too bad. I was going to show you the little park a few blocks away. Not many people seem to realize it's there but sometimes I go there and watch the ducks," I tell her. "You seem like a duck person."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or…"

"If it makes you agree to visit the duck pond, you can feel whatever you want." I shrug. "The ducks likely won't even be out. They have early bed times. But the park itself is nice." I start walking that direction, and Nev just follows without question. The duck pond is only about four blocks away, and we stop on the bridge looking out over one side of the water.

_Now what? Ask her if she likes you or like likes you. Or ask her in multiple choice where all the choices are yes._

"I'm surprised you didn't take any credit tonight," Nev says. I look at her but she's watching the fish in the pond sleepily swimming around.

"I already told you-"

"I know. I get it. Just, you seem to want them to accept you-"

"In their stupid clique? And only because I outran a bomb I set wrong?" I stop. "I don't care if they like what I do and don't do. I care that all I get is 'you're crazy, shoo'. The whole damn SHIELD population is crazy if you step back and look at them."

"Sorry." She pulls her coat around her and zips it. "I'd like to see them be nicer."

"I want them to be nice for the right reasons." Uncomfortable silence. "There are a lot of flowers along the edge of the pond in spring. You'd probably like it better when everything's more than just varying shades of brown."

"We can always come back in the spring. It is a nice park. Nicer that it's empty," she says.

"It always is, except for the pond animals. That's ok. It's why I like it." She tries to hide a yawn. "You have the jet lag."

"Yeah. I don't really want to sleep though. We should probably eat first if nothing else," Nev states, and I watch as she walks past me, towards the street again. She stops when she realizes I'm not moving. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Trying to remember if I actually have anything that's widely considered edible in my house," I say slowly. "I think I still have a few of those noodle cup things that you can buy like ten bucks worth and have enough food for a small African nation."

"Oh, that reminds me, I have a gift for you. It is relevant to our current interests, but I'm going to make you wait," Nev taunts. I move to her side and she walks with me, still close like she was the night before.

_You know you're over reacting because you're so desperate for someone to like you._

"I like your company." I'm actually trying what she said. Of course, that only works when the person I'm with cares what I have to say.

"Good. You seemed uncomfortable at first, which is fine. But I'm glad it's worn off," she says, sounding pleased. We still have a hefty walk ahead of us but I start going for the house key anyway. Right side- no, left. Second pocket. "Don't want to have to empty all your 'utilities' again, I see." Nev looks very smug.

"You haven't seen half of what I have on me. I mean, I didn't think a rubber spatula would be useful either, but man was I glad I accidentally carried it out the door that day," I tell her with a nod. "You shoulda seen the look on that guy's face. And on Steve's 'cause he's screaming at me to fall back, 'cause I'd lost my weaponry being clumsy, so I reached into a bag and that's just what I pulled out. Baffled the hell out of him long enough for Tony to come in and "save the day". But we all know who the real hero was! Also I was the one who chased him out into the street, so there's that too."

_Awkward silence? No. Companionable. This is an ok Silence. And there aren't many of those._

"I don't get anything special," I tell her as I open the door. "I mean I have basic cable but I got a little concerned that trying to splice into anything else, I couldn't be as discreet."

"Didn't peg you for one to have too many bills," Nev says, unconcerned with my piracy. "Bet you aren't paying for electricity either, are you?"

"No, that gets billed to SHIELD, which is funny 'cause they've been paying that bill for like six years and they haven't noticed yet. Maybe they just don't care. But I like to think they don't notice," I confess. "Uh, don't tell Fury."

"No, because I am supposed to be staying with you, and if they cut off the electricity, well. I'll be without power too," she points out.

"Unless you go back to living with Fury," I say.

"Who says I want to? Aside from not being able to get into fighting quarters yet, my first day was fun," she states with a big smile. "Care to help me with the arduous task of making instant noodles?"


	5. Watch Where You Stumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade gets to work alongside part of the Avengers. Alongside. Not with.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a mild variant of a line in the Tool song Swamp Song. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

We're sitting on opposite ends of the sofa. I don't mind sharing it with Nev. I mind that she's all the way at the other end. There's an empty box of Zebra Cakes between us, that was her surprise. Not the box, the actual cakes. We've eaten them though. She's starting to fall asleep now, so it's very possible I'm going to be evicted from my own sofa.

_Just leave her alone for now. If you're that desperate just skip work tomorrow._

I push myself up, ignoring the look she's giving me.

"We're both tired. I'm not planning on showing up tomorrow even though admittedly this isn't very good "life of a would-be super hero" training," I say, still not looking at her. When I step over to the heater to turn it on, I hear her shift on the sofa, and when I turn around again she's already stretched out.

"Scoot, you're blocking precious TV," she says, trying not to smile.

"If it wasn't at the price of making Fury, y'know, furious, I'd kick the heater back off and just let you get sick," I threaten.

"I'd steal your lone blanket."

"I can lock that door."

"I can smash in through your window from outside." Hm. She has me here.

"You win this round. Sleep well... while I let you." I make a spooky hand motion as I back down the hall towards my own room. I close the door and feel a tug to go back out to Nev. Or let her in here. But when I pull my mask off and glance in the mirror, I remember why I haven't yet.

* * *

_Why is your phone going off? They never call you in._

"Mmwhat?"

"Why is Nev's phone off? Where are you two? Why the hell..." I set the phone down long enough to stumble into a clean suit and then carry the phone to Nev, who's awake and watching cartoons which does sort of amuse me. I don't stick around to listen, just go back to my room. I don't bother with the suit either, just crawl back into bed. I have no idea what time it it, just that I don't want to be part of today yet. And after I don't know how many minutes, Nev knocks on my door.

"Wade? You want your phone back? He's done screaming at us and I did a few things for you." I sigh and get back up, pull the door open. "Did you go back to bed?"

"Yeah."

"You sleep in your suit?"

"Not usually." She holds my phone out.

"I did a few things for you, but you're going to need to stay up. We need to go to work." Her voice has a weird urgency to it.

"I don't have any intention of doing anything today. We had a very long three second discussion about this last night." I duck my head as I yawn. "What time is it anyway?" She giggles.

"Adventure time. No. It's pushing 11. We should go," she insists. I rub my eyes with the backs of my hands.

"What did you do? I'm not going if I'm just gonna get yelled at," I say.

"You won't," she says. I look at her as my eyes refocus.

_Don't you just want to give her a Milk Bone? Or a grope?_

"Both. Ok, fine. Let's go. If anyone yells at me I'm shipping you off with Captain Please Explain," I say, catching the gumpiness in my voice. Nev doesn't seem to notice, just steps into her shoes and is out the door before I am. She watches me lock the door and stays several paces ahead of me as we walk to the building.

_Stupid building with stupid people. Stupid Fury's gonna come down and yell at you. Stupid Nev convincing you otherwise. Just wanted to sleep in today._

"Eleven is at least sleeping in compared to the regular 9, right?" I ask groggily.

"Yes. Yes it is." She slows down so I can catch up with her. "You ok?"

"I like sleeping. And eating. But sleeping first," I say. "I didn't want to have to do anything at SHIELD today. Stupid name anyway." Fury is waiting for us, hands behind his back.

"I don't know how I let Guinevere talk me into this, but I'm going to make you work for it," he says with a stupid shit eating grin.

"I don't want it. Nev, go find Captain Timejoke. Kicking you out. I'm not even-" Fury holds out a set of keys. Car keys.

"You smashed yours being a hot head. I assume you'll treat a company car a little better," Fury says sternly. I reach out to take them, but he jerks his hand back. "You're going on a little adventure!"

_So, did Nev do you a favour or are you still angry with her?_

"I don't know if I like you or not right now," I say, addressing them both.

"Go find Peter, Steve, Tony, and... hm, Bruce. They're your new buddies of the day. Come back with minimal damages and you can have the car," he says as he turns and leaves.

"Yeah, that's cool, I want Avenger smugness rubbed in my face all day! Because they're my BFFs and everything!" I yell after him. He doesn't even turn around. When I turn to Nev she's just looking at me expectantly. "A hefty price. Think we can pay it?" I ask. She nods. I look up at the SHIELD building and reluctantly head in with Nev close at my heels.

_Maybe they'll be nice to you because Fury's kid is here. Yeah, that's enough to save anyone!_

Nev is greeted warmly enough, but I'm completely ignored. Not completely, Parker gets up to sit at my side. I lean away from him, closer to Nev seated at my other side.

"Relax, I won't bite you. I'm sorry I didn't really stand up for you more earlier this week. Nev bartered with Fury to get you on a mission, so I offered-"

"I don't wanna be here. I was gonna sleep til like 2 and then gorge myself at Taco Bell before going back to bed," I say guardedly.

"That does sound better than what we're doing. But I wanted you to join us to try to get your foot back in the door. I know it wasn't Cable who took out Lady Gaerna," he says.

"I payed almost no attention through that whole mission. It took almost an hour just to get into her stupid empty warehouse, and even then we got in by accident. I wasn't heroic, I couldn't even set the damn bomb right. We just got lucky," I argue, not wanting to accept his pity-congrats.

_He's right though, you were fuckin' pro._

"Guys, attention." Coulson is briefing us. Or them. I don't listen to this shit. I lean back with my arms crossed and my head down. I'm still a little tired. I get a jab in the rib from Parker as I'm nodding off.

"At least pretend like you're paying attention. I'd like to see this go well for you, believe it or not," he hisses.

"...are in a vial, looks a lot like this. Glowing golden particles, in the vial, green top. We've located them at..." Coulson talks more than me. I blink heavily. I'm ready to try sleeping through this again when he dismisses us and everyone heads to the door. I'm the last out, sulking along behind Peter. Nev's off being friends with Tony.

_You don't need them anyway. Maybe you can stay back in the van and sleep til they're done._

* * *

"Web, you go upstairs with Shield. Hulk, take out the first floor, then follow me downstairs. Nev, stay here and watch," Tony says, very professional, very in charge.

"And hey, Wade, we'll all stand around and watch as you kill all the security, rescue the little bottles, and ultimately save the day!" I sneer at them. I wasn't included in their plans. I'll make my own plans.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want a job? Guard the van," Tony says. He drops the face of his suit, thinking he's ended it. I grab my blades and knock him down from behind, bashing away at his head. He rolls over and starts shooting plasma blasts at me, I dodge most of them. But he's doing a shit job of dodging me. "Someone get this crazy bastard off me!" No one comes forward to stop me. They know he deserves it. I can't crack his stupid suit anyway.

"Wade. Enough," I hear Peter say.

_Yeah, so you can listen to more of his fake pity?_

"WADE." That's not Peter. Or Banner or Rogers. That was Nev, sounding a lot like Fury. One last bash, and as I stand I shove Stark across the ground several feet.

"New fucking plan. Peter, upstairs with me. Hulky boy, first floor. Rogers, take the Tin Man downstairs with you and find the fucking bottles so we can go home," I say, feeling my voice shaking with anger. I look down at my blades, they're shaking too, or my hands are anyway.

_You probably look like a Chihuahua on crack. Which is ok because that'd be one vicious dog._

No one argues. We start to split up as I'd ordered, but I feel Nev staring at me. I turn to her, sitting on the hood of the van.

"Try not to do that anymore. K? You're going the opposite direction you need to be headed in." It doesn't come out unkindly. "Also, if you could come back mostly in one piece? That'd be appreciated." I give her a thumbs up before breaking into a jog to find Peter, who's just hitting the top of the steps into the second story.

"I know you weren't listening, but our job is to bring the building down. All this machinery, smash it to bits. You already got a warm up, so…" He shrugs at me.

"I like that no one stood up for me," I say as we set about wrecking the computers, making any stored data unrecoverable. I hear several someones coming in through the door, and turn my guns to them. They all go down in a heap without even getting into the room.

"We did, by not interfering with you beating at Tony's head," he says.

"Wave 2 – regular strength adds, with one or two higher health adds," I say outloud. Sure enough, there they are.

"Hey, keep them distracted. I'll wreck any drivers up here if you keep me covered," Peter says as he hurries past me. "Next room, this one's done."

"My thrown sword sense is tingling," I taunt him. He turns at me and goes pale. "It was a great shot," I admit as I pull the cheap blade from my back, watch it slide out from my front. Perfect through-and-through. "Hey I'm just gonna stand at the top of the stairs, looks like Hulk's gotten it under control. I'll shoot, just to help though. Pretend like I'm doing something dangerous." I hear Peter starting to smash the drivers in another room. Above that, I hear several cars pulling up outside.

_Didn't you leave something rather precious and irreplaceable outside?_

"Pretty sure that watch is still in my sock drawer," I answer. "Oh. Oh no. Yeah I did." I jump off the stairs onto Bruce's shoulder, jump from there to the door. He's bigger and just smashes the whole front wall open for me. He heard it too. He starts flipping the cars as they pull up. They won't get through him, they won't get her.

"Wade!" Peter yells. "Downstairs! Computers are down!" I run back in, down towards the basement floor with Peter. Stark and Rogers are doing very well, but this is like wave 5. Lots of big guys with big guns, focus firing at them. Peter moves to help, I grab his wrist and yank him back. "No, we need to help them!"

"They're fine, one has a shield and the other one's too arrogant to stop. Take the southern hall, hook a left, a right, and everything they stole is in the second room on the left. No I wasn't paying attention, I stole Rogers' notes," I say quickly. We tear down the hall, "I don't know what these particles are for but I've never seen Coulson so wound up so they gotta be important."

"It has to do with the mutants, the X Men project. I didn't understand the science he was speaking, you'd have to talk to Bruce," he gasps. He's even more out of shape than me, which is funny. We find the door, and we both hesitate. "Try not to kill… oh, I'm not going to win this. Don't get any blood on me." And we kick the door open.

_7 people in the room, this is child's play. And listen, here comes ol' Bruce!_

"Those particles you guys have, those are actually ours. Gimme," I say. Everyone pulls a gun. "Ok, we'll do this the way where I kill you all and take your stash by force. Just for fun, I have a great reason to kill all of you!" I jump into action as Peter stays tucked off to one side. I ram a blade through one guy's skull. "I don't like the colour of your glasses frames!" I slash the next guy's throat. "Your tie doesn't match your shirt!"

_Five more, at least beat Hulk to the kills!_

"While I appreciate you love your dog, it's an ugly dog! Your haircut doesn't fit the shape of your face! You're wearing WHITE socks with BLACK slacks! Kids on your desk, no wedding ring? Didja LEAVE EM?" Last guy, trembling in fear because their stupid bullets haven't hurt me at all.

_Well, they haven't killed you, anyway._

"And you, well, I just don't plain don't like you." And I slash his head off.


	6. Baby I'm Howlin' For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade saves the day, and saves the night.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a line in the Black Keys song Howlin' For You. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

I spin to the side as Hulk rampages in, an Avenger under each arm. He drops them and looks around the room.

"I had a good reason for every death. Just LOOK at that guy's tie," I say, pointing with my sword.

"Don't worry about the fucking tie. Get the boxes of vials and let's get out of here," Stark says, sounding very battered. We start to gather up the supplies, but I feel like this is too easy. I can't shake it. I step out into the hallway. Nothing to the right. The lights to my left shut off. I pull my guns out. Another section of lights go out and I start shooting wildly at the approaching darkness.

_People sure like bashing you over the head. That one hit your eye. Jesus ow._

I feel myself fall to the ground. There's definitely fighting going on, I can hear it even if I can't see it. Hulk can handle this. Maybe. These guys just keep comin'.

"Go to the left. Go through these guys. Follow me. Everyone grab two boxes, that should be all of them. Someone get Hulk to follow us out." I push away from the group; Peter's hesitant to kill, but Stark and Rogers are just exhausted. "I know you're whupped but let's move it." Everyone's got a box of vials under each arm. I unsheathe my blades and slip past Hulk.

"Hulk, follow us. We're going to get out of here. Kill anything that threatens us," Rogers calls to him.

"Protect Avengers," Hulky Boy agrees.

_Don't hesitate. Just go._

I swing my blades in figure eights, complimenting each other. It's like bearing down on these fuckers with a big meat grinder. It's enough to get us outside. Of course, we're still not getting off that easy. As we're loading up, we get ambushed. One of the boxes is lost in the chaos, and Stark runs off after one of the guys.

"Tony, let's go!" Bruce yells. No more Hulk.

"He took a box, I'm gonna go get it. I'm not failing this mission!" he yells back. No one follows him. Solo missions are how I get hurt the worst. So I follow him. The guy we're chasing turns and shoots. Whatever the hell he fired, it hit Stark in the chest and exploded the torso and face clean off his suit.

"Stark, forget it. We're all too expended," I shout at him. He hasn't given up. And his suit was already very damaged before this.

"Tony, come back," I hear Bruce beg.

"No. I'd rather die than turn back now," he says angrily. Our box thief turns and aims at Tony again with that crazy ass gun. I pull out my own gun and start firing at him. Down he goes. Tony swipes at the box, misses it. But I don't. I turn to Stark with the box in my arms, and he's looking at me like I just killed his first born.

_Aw, you stole his Tropic Thunder. Boo hoo._

He begrudgingly follows me back up to the top level and out to van. I pass the box over to Shieldman.

"Thank you, Deadpool," he says, probably stumbling for my name. I don't even care. Tony's pissed, I'm tired, Nev is…

_Fine. She's inside the van stacking the boxes. Not anything to worry about._

I see to it that I get a seat right at the back door, and Nev takes a seat at my side that isn't smooshed against the door. I don't mind riding sideways as much as I thought I would. Kinda makes me feel like I'm in the A-Team van.

_Was theirs sideways seating?_

I lean against the door and close my eyes. When Nev pokes my arm, it's all I can do to lift my head and look at her.

"You ok?" she asks me very quietly. I nod and just lean back the way I was. No way I'm getting out of the paperwork for this.

* * *

"And if we can stay awake past the first step into the house, maybe I can tell you about that time I spent four fucking hours at SHIELD after a mission!" I grumble to Nev.

"At least it's over and they promised not to bother you tomorrow," she offers gently. She jerks her head one way, listening, or watching. Something got her attention.

"Hey, wait up!" It's Parker. I give an irritated sigh and pick up my pace. Nev looks frantically between Parker and me, trying to make up her mind on who not to be rude to. He catches us, saving her the trouble.

"We're going home, it's almost one am, what do you want?" I snap at him.

_He wants to kiss ass and go on about how great you were. Ok, maybe he can stay._

"Was anyone appreciative?" he asks.

"Nev was. I'm fine. Go home. I know you live in the opposite direction," I say flatly.

"That isn't what I meant," he insists. "I know you're a little short on them, so I'm trying to be a friend-"

"Good. You can be my super best friend by letting us go home and prepare for our super big day off tomorrow which will include eating and sleeping." I shake the shiny new car keys in Parker's face. "I have a vehicle, and I want to see how many people I can hit without being stopped." He sighs and runs his hand over his face.

"Nev, if you need a break from this, my place is free," Parker offers.

"No, I think we're ok. He needs a babysitter," she says, giving me a look.

"Nuh uh. I can do most remedial tasks like pour a glass of juice and use the toilet," I argue. She looks back at Parker.

"Yeah. Point made. Ok, well, guess I'll see ya next time you decide to show up," he says, and with a shrug he walks off towards his place. Nev follows me closely to the garage. Parking spot B 28.

_It looks just like every other car in this garage._

"But it looks better than my car, mostly because it burned up after I threw it," I say, failing to hide my disappointment.

"You're welcome," she says.

"I had to do a lot of boring and difficult things today. I'm not sure if I wanna say thanks yet," I answer. We're both staring at the car, like we don't know what to do with it. But we move at the same time to get in, and it's clean and has that weird plasticy leather smell.

"You remember how to drive?" she asks.

"For both our sakes, I hope so," I say as I start it. "Kinda just hoping it doesn't have some weird bomb trigger or something where it blows up before we're halfway home. Which now that we have a car, that trip will take all of something like three minutes." She's playing with the heater.

"Better than walking in the cold," she says, putting her hands to the vents. I suddenly feel kinda bad my house is so cold, watching her try to warm up after just a few minutes outside. I'm used to it, she likely isn't. I feel worse when she hesitates to get out of the warmth of the vehicle.

"I kinda feel weird letting it sit out here," I tell her. She looks at the car, then at the neighboring houses.

"You don't live in a rough area. It should be fine," Nev assures me. She squirms past me to get inside first and has the heater started up before I can get the door shut and relocked.

"I'm sorry that it's so cold." Nev looks at me. Smiles.

"Not like you planned it this way."

"You can have the blanket too if you want it."

"Then you'll be freezing. Keep it. I can wrap myself in my coat if I get that cold." I'm not going to win this argument. I just walk down the hall to my room without saying anything. She calls a goodnight to me, I don't answer. I start to pull my suit off, but I see the mirror from the corner of my eye. I stop undressing and drape a towel over it.

_Die fighting for some doofuses you can't stand, or look like a monster?_

I'm not sure either choices are any good.

* * *

I can't sleep. It's three thirty and I'm wide awake. I start for my door, just to check on Nev.

_Not looking like this you aren't. Your suit's the only thing that covers you all the way._

"She's going to ask about it if she wakes up," I counter.

_Then don't wake her up._

"That went so well the last time I tried that," I mumble as I reluctantly pull on a suit. I need to get the pile I have on the floor to SHIELD's laundry service. Everyone's suits have to be cleaned a certain way, and only SHIELD can do it.

_Worry about it later. What are you going to do about that?_

Nev has her coat around her, but she's still trembling. It is genuinely cold and I know from experience that sleeping just makes everything feel colder.

_Don't wake her. Bad idea._

I touch her shoulder. She stirs, squeezing her coat around her as tight as she can before opening her eyes. I'm crouching with my face very near hers.

"I thought you said you don't sleep in your suit." She squints at me. "Did Fury call you?"

"No. And I said not usually, which implies sometimes. But I need to ask you," I hesitate. I don't know how to say this eloquently. "It's stupid cold out here. This isn't working. We can put the heater in my room, and the bed's big enough for two people." She blinks groggily. "I mean, would that be - can we do that without making it weird?"

"Can you?" she asks. I don't answer, just stand and unplug the heater and take it down the hall. I hear her rise and follow me. As I get the heater set up, she slips into bed snuggles under the blanket. She already looks like she feels better. She watches me as I go around to the other side and get in, laying with my back to her.

"You sure about this?" Nev asks me again.

"I don't want you to freeze to death. Or even get sick. Partly because I don't want Fury to execute me, partly because I don't dislike you." I say slowly. I feel her shift, trying to get comfortable.

"Did I take all your blanket?"

"No."

"K. Gnight."

_This was definitely not your best idea._

* * *

I don't remember hiring a lady last night. But there's definitely one under my arm, loosely pressed against me. I don't recall ever waking up spooning with a lady either. I open my eyes. Nev asked me twice if I'd be ok. This wasn't supposed… When does anything I ever do happen the way it's "supposed" to? Fuck.

_Is she still asleep? She's asleep, get off of her, you idiot._

I try to very slowly pull myself off her, slipping my hand from hers to lift my arm from draping over her middle. If she wakes up-

"Unless you're that uncomfortable, it's ok. It's still cold enough for you to not get in trouble for this," Nev says sleepily. Her voice is light and almost… playful. Yeah, that's an accurate word. I rest my arm back over her. I just hope she can't feel my heart racing, or my breathing getting fast. I wonder how long I can stay like this before she wants up.

"Wade?" She breaks me from my panicked thoughts.

"Huh."

"Why are you in your suit?" she asks. "And don't say something lame like it helps keep you warm because, thanks to my dad, I know the material is capable of holding in all of absolutely no heat."

_Damnit._

"Parker can climb walls. Logan has hand razors. Bruce can turn into an angry watermelon. Know what I have? Stupid amazing healing powers. Powers that make Logan look like he'll need the trauma ward to heal up." I stop. I haven't really talked about this much. We are still technically strangers. Aren't we? "I got into the program at all because I thought they could cure my cancer."

I stop again. She's not pushing me which is making this a lot easier. If she interrupts I'll lose my steam. She does turn over to face me though, and thank Whoever for the mask.

"All it did was speed it up. Growing and healing the cancer over and over, kinda took its toll after a while. Trust me, you don't want to see what's under the goofy outfit." She's still looking at me with that understanding way about her. Part of it makes me want to just rip the mask off anyway.

"At this point, I'm not sure even looking like Jay Leno could make me so repulsed I'd run from the house screaming," she says finally. I sit up and undo the strap that keeps my mask down, connected to the suit, to keep it from coming off.

_What are you doing?! You can't let her do this! You don't even actually like her, you're so desperate-_

"You don't really feel comfortable letting me take it off, do you?" Nev asks. My chest tightens. "It's ok." She wriggles back down, lying at my side. "I'm not really ready to get up though. You can, if you want to. Or I can go back to the sofa." I feel dizzy.

"No. We can stay here."

"And don't feel like you have to lay with your back to me." A hint of a smile in her words. I very cautiously settle with her the way we were, her head tucked under my chin, my arm over her, her hand over mine. We are closer together though. Her back sealed to my front. I've never been so grateful to be in bed with a lady with both of us fully clothed.

_A_ _re you sure you're grateful?_


	7. One Taste Of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade and Nev get even better acquainted!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a mild variant of a line in the Perfect Circle song Magdelena. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  


* * *

We haven't been laying like this for a terribly long time when she again turns over to face me. She folds her arms between us, letting me hold her just a little closer. The biggest thing that's driving me nuts is how close our faces are. And she can't even see mine.

"When you ran off yesterday. When you were chasing Tony and you disappeared. I was actually a little worried. I wasn't when I saw Cable come back without you, not until the building blew up." Her eyes are open but she's looking down, not at me.

"I can't die," I state dumbly.

"I know. Didn't stop me," she says with a very small smile. Half forgetting the mask, I tilt my head, to kiss her. Stupidly. Instinctively. She definitely noticed.

_You can't do this. Fury will kill you. Cousin? Sister? The only thing that will stop you now is her. And the only thing that will stop her is you. And that's one of those circles that there's no answer to!_

Nev reaches up and puts her fingertips to my jaw, traces my jawline. I rest my forehead to hers as she moves down my neck for the hem of my mask. My whole body tenses, more from nerves than from being excited by her touch, but that's absolutely happening as well. A couple hours with a lady of the night isn't a lot better than a night alone. This feels like-

_Vanessa. Rebound? No. Desperate? No. Something else._

Nev's fingers slide under the hem and I can feel her brushing against my skin. She starts lifting the mask very gently, but not all the way. She stops it on the bridge of my nose. She's tilted her head, she's agonizingly close and I feel my lips part before she dusts hers against them.

_You can't do this. Fury trusted you to do something that isn't this._

I duck my head, breaking the contact. She pulls back some, looking at me. I don't know what to say. I know I want it. I have no idea what she wants. Wait, I don't want it. I feel nauseated.

_If you're going to do it, you should probably get into action before she changes her mind._

"Rethinking this?" Nev doesn't seem angry or sad or ready to hit me and run off. In fact my hand is still at the small of her back and she's still close enough if I decide to kiss her.

"If Fury found out we'd be in a pretty good amount of trouble," I say slowly.

"We are sharing a bed, and personal space. We're already in trouble," she points out.

"We just met."

"Refer to my previous statement."

I let out a breath as I rest my chin atop her head. I don't want to start this over again because generally speaking when I like something and get attached, it just gets taken from me.

 _Remember that Mango Pepsi? That was last year and still hurts. Also, remember that's Nick Fury's kid. Sorta_.

"Do you want me to give you some space?" Nev asks. She shifts like she's going to get up and I sort of involuntarily tighten my hold on her.

"No. Maybe. I haven't been in this situation too many times, I mean usually it's a one-time thing and I can't wait to kick 'em out, like relatives where you're so amped to see 'em, and after about three hours you're over it?" I try to explain.

_You don't even like it when she's out of your line of sight anymore. That's startling._

Nev reaches up and takes the edge of my mask in her fingers. For a second I worry she's going to take it off. Instead, she starts pulling it back down. I move my hand from her back and grab her wrist. Only now do I feel her shaking, just as bad as I am.

_You really do only like her because she's the only affection you've gotten in a long time._

"I don't think the why is an issue here. I do, regardless of reason," I say. I'm still holding her wrist but when I feel her cup my face I bring her fingertips to my lips.

_You've never really been one for rules anyway. Or rational decisions. Or mushrooms on pizza._

"Are you only being nice to me because you feel sorry for me?" I ask. lips slightly hindered against her fingertips, only aware of how cold that sounds after I've said it. I study her, but if it hurt she's not showing it. Nor is she trying to take her hand back.

"It probably started that way. I try to take care of people that are hurt the way I'd want to be taken care of. I'm more helping myself than the person before me. Some people would say that's selfish, but if the other person feels better, then who cares? It was the fact that you reacted to it- the night you insisted on taking me to the duck pond- that I think sealed whatever deal that was," she tells me. She hadn't stopped to think about what was coming out. I trust it.

"I don't know why it was so important to show you the pond. I just wanted to share it, with you specifically," I mumble against her fingers.

_At least let go of her hand._

Before I can, Nev slips up a bit more, eye level with me.

"We really, really shouldn't. What's going to happen if we do anyway?" I ask her quietly. She doesn't answer right away, and the strain of the Heart vs Brain war has started my heartbeat racing my breathing again.

"What happens if we don't?" she asks. What does happen happens very fast. I let go of her hand, which she moves to my jaw again. We close the space between us, lips pressed together in a blind desire. I always see weird colours and stuff when I close my eyes, but this is something else entirely. Every movement, every tug on my lips, hell every breath has some meaning to it. Very long and very sincere kiss. Sincere about what though, I have no idea. And right now I don't care about anything else except that she's pulled away. I lean in a bit, chasing her, just a few seconds more, before letting us both take a few breaths of very needed air.

"Sorry."

_That's all you can say? Sorry? What are you sorry about? 'Yeah sorry I totally rocked your world!'_

I look at her feeling dazed, but she's smiling. It makes me smile. She moves her hand to cradle my face, and she slides her thumb under the hem of the mask.

_No. Not ok with this. Can't have her screaming and running off, you'll lose her. Like the mango Pepsi._

"Just say so if you aren't comfortable." It isn't condescending or insincere. Even with my brain screaming at me to stop her, all I manage is a nod. My mask is off in one swift but gentle motion. Being between my head and the pillow didn't even slow it down. I can't look at Nev. I don't want to see her expression. I don't have to, she tells me herself when I feel her kiss my forehead. I let out a breath of relief. I risk it and raise my eyes to hers.

"How long has it been since you've seen your eyes?" she asks.

"I dunno. I don't need to spend a lot of time at a mirror," I answer.

"They're kind of a stormy blue, if you were curious. It fits you." She gets comfortable again, watching me.

_Well, you did it. Happy? At least you can't really mess up any more than you already have._

"What time is it?" she asks. I fumble for my phone 7:30? That's it?

"Seven thirty. Still kinda early to be integrated into the day," I say, making a face at the stupid numbers. I hate early mornings. A lot. This one didn't go poorly, and maybe that's why I don't want to get up. I put my phone back down and pull Nev into my arms again. She nestles into me very similar to when we were in the jet, and I rest my head against hers.

"Don't worry about keeping the dumb suit on if it's just us here, ok?" she tells me, her voice little more than a whisper.

"I won't."

* * *

No. Bad phone. You aren't supposed to ring. Not today. I have plans that likely have changed in the last few hours. I can feel Nev still in bed with me, but I have to pull away to find the stupid phone.

_You sure call a lot of things stupid._

"They deserve it." Grab phone. Look at name. Answer or take the battery out? I owe him, so I answer it. "I'm off. Don't call me."

"Hold it, Wade. You are off, I'm not callin' you in. Bring Guinevere by. I need to get her phone to her and she's actually not off. You can go do whatever you want, but she's gotta spend a few hours here," Fury says. So official and not fun at all. And news I didn't want to hear on top of that.

"Fine. I'll be there when I wake up more," I tell him before hanging up. Nev's looking at me questioningly. Hey eyes are like crayon green. Really nuts. "I'm off, you're not. If I had a mocking laugh track I'd be playing it." She chuckles.

"Yeah, I have a job on top of babysitting you," she says with a nod.

"Ok, A, I already told you, I don't need it. I'm all good, the only thing I'd probably do is burn the place down trying some 'don't try this at home' experiment. Two, no, B, what job? Fury only told me about showing you how not to fight properly," I question.

"I'm actually training in-office. I can hack almost anything," she answers. She's acting like it's no big deal, but there's an excited tone to her voice. "Computers, phones, satellites, TV stations, radio stations, ATMs, anything that can be hacked, I can do it. I just need to refine my skills a bit, I can get a little sloppy just because of how excited I get and how easy it is. Little mistakes, but if we're doing something really important, even a tiny mistake could blow the whole thing."

"Are you telling me that you can get me free premium cable channels? Because I stopped paying attention at TV," I admit. "Course we don't really watch it all that much do we…"

"I could, yeah. But you're already getting free cable. So, best not," she says with a smirk. "I guess we should get up." She gives a deflated sigh, showing my own feelings. I nuzzle my head to hers, and she reaches up to caress my face. "I'm not exactly gonna go running my mouth about this if it's all the same to you."

"Hopefully it's not out of shame," I test as we get up. She makes for the door as I pull my mask back on.

"My dad is Nick Fury and I'm a text book daddy's girl. So, make of that what you will," she says pointedly. She grabs a fresh set of clothes from her bag and disappears into the bathroom.

"You win. I'd really rather not be on his shit list," I agree. And when she laughs at this, I'm pulled somewhere between completely overjoyed and completely terrified.

* * *

Fury's waiting for us in the lobby.

_His timing is really amazing. Is that his super power? Was it to make up for the pirate thing?_

"You don't have to stay here. I told you that. Why'd you bother puttin' on a suit?" he questions.

_I kissed your daughter!_

"I told him he could watch. It's not like he's going to start randomly hacking things," Nev answers for me.

"Truthfully, I have the attention span of a sieve so I'll probably end up pinning origami cranes to the walls after the first, eh, five minutes or so," I say with a nod. Fury sighs, and I'm briefly afraid he's going to argue the point.

"As long as you don't start wildly shooting again-"

"Look, that wouldn't have happened if we hung the damn sticky ribbon traps like I said! A fly got in the building, and clearly no one was going to take care of it, so I took matters into my own hands. AND I did get rid of it, it flew out one of the holes that I may or may not have put in the window," I say defensively.

"It's winter, so if you start hallucinating again, remind yourself of that. There are no flies in the God damned winter," he says sharply. Nev's just trying not to laugh at our exchange. As I follow her and Fury to the elevator, Bruse passes us. Or starts to. He turns and falls into step with me.

"I haven't been here since the paperwork last night," I say quickly. "So any new bodies, while I would love to do so, I can't take credit for them."

"Well, while I do want to address that, first I wanted to tell you that your work yesterday was impressive. Tony can be harsh, and I'm a little glad to see you stand up to him," he says. "I like him well enough, but I think we're starting to get sick of his ego."

"Uh. Thanks and you're welcome? Don't applaud, just throw money." I give him a thumbs up.

"But with that said… WHY was there a body in the heater duct of my room?" he continues.

'Well Fury said to stop leaving them at his office door," I say. "It had to go somewhere."

"So… you chose my heating duct?" Bruce looks very confused.

"Yep!" He shakes his head.

"I'm not going to question your logic. But if you could find another spot to store your trophies, I'd really appreciate that," he says, looking almost nervous.

"I already have a place in mind. Thanks for the chat!" I tell him cheerfully, and make my way to the elevator.


	8. We Won't Take Pause

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade "helps" Peter while Nev works on her hacking.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a mild variant of a line in the Tool song Vicarious. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

"Well done, as usual. For someone who claims to be lousy at math, you can crack algorithms like it's nothing," Maria is telling Nev. She's staring very hard at the computer screen in front of her, using something that resembles a plug in micro keyboard.

"It's just a pattern, patterns are easy." She's really focusing on this. She doesn't notice when I step up behind her and watch over her shoulder. Green numbers are flashing across the black screen. Maria looks up at me.

"This scenario involves a password that evolves based on an algorithm. The idea of this exercise is to get as much information as possible within five minutes with the cleanest hack," Nev says. "The information relocks itself every few seconds and requires rehacking, since the password has reset."

"None of that sounded English," I tell her. She sighs at me, but smiles. I take a chair from a table in the corner and sit behind them. I do want to watch even if the specifics are confusing. A count-down clock is showing what time she has left. 0:0:48, 0:0:47… Nev looks pleased when the clock stops her.

"Best yet, 79% with only 16% chance of being recognized as a foreign entity," she says looking over her shoulder at me.

"Still kinda gibberish, but that's really good probably," I tell her supportively. A very unwelcome red and blue clad intruder appears in the full-glass door.

_Oh God, he's here to try to be emotional with you._

"Shoo. We're working here," I say, giving Peter a dismissive hand gesture. He stands next to me, looking at Nev's screen.

"Training as a hacker huh? Whoa, you beat our last guy's score by a mile," he says, getting a better look at what she's doing.

"If you're here to play suck up, the part's been filled. Go away," I say irritably. A new problem pops up, and Nev's posture changes.

"I was afraid of this one. I'm balls at this," she mumbles.

"You won't be with proper training," Maria insists. It's a rotating shape, looks like it has twenty sides, maybe more, and text off to the left of the shape. Each side has a different shape on it. Nev's staring at it, but not moving to try to answer it. There's no timer on this one. She does finally put in a response and the shape stops moving. It's showing one side and four lines of text.

"Let's go, you don't even know what you're looking at," Peter says to me.

"Nuh uh. I'm off today. I have plans to start putting up a wall paper made of cranes in this room," I argue.

"I didn't say fight, I said to come with me," he insists. "You can follow me around and do absolutely nothing."

"I don't want your guidance counselor speeches today. I'm in a surprisingly good mood," I say trying to shoo him off again.

"I'll split my pay with you."

_No he won't, he'll use it to buy you a self-help book and claim that mending your feelings is the best pay ever._

"I'll also buy you lunch."

"Only if it's that Mexican place a few blocks over," I challenge.

"Done. Let's go," he says, making for the door. I take a final look at Nev, but she's concentrating too hard to notice I'm leaving. "So are you two playing house nicely?" he asks as we leave the building.

_Was that euphemism for sex?_

"I wouldn't make sexual passes at her," I say, giving Peter a look he can't see because masks block that stuff.

"I never… You know what, you're really hard to talk to," he says, sighing.

"Where are we going?"

"Kill a guy, get some money back from him. I don't know more than that, it's being treated like it's some great national secret," he says. "Honestly I think they're just embarrassed it happened."

"I kissed her," I blurt out. I keep walking. Peter doesn't.

"Wait, you- Wade, you can't- What if Fury finds out?!" he stammers. I stop and turn to him.

"Are you gonna tell him?" I ask.

"Well, no but you know he has way of finding everything out! You'll get fired!" he says, almost frantically.

"How much money did this guy steal? You can't just walk into SHIELD and leave with armfuls of cash… Can you? Have I been missing an opportunity here?" I say thoughtfully.

"Wade!"

"Was it only one armful then?" I ask. He shakes his head and starts walking again.

"You just got done saying you weren't making passes at her," he says. "I'd say kissing her is a pretty big lead in."

"It was cold, so I offered to share the bed with her. In hindsight, I still don't feel like I did the wrong thing. Kinda did at first. But it went well," I say, turning the events over in my head again.

"How'd you end up kissing her? Do I want to know?"

"We woke up in a slightly compromising position. Don't worry, I wasn't naked," I assure him. He shudders. "And when she took off my mask, she didn't do that."

"Moving a little fast there, and with Fury's kid," he warns. I nod.

"I already thought through all of that. I know I'm not really over…" I can't say her name. Not out loud. "And I'm gonna wager that sticking me in a nut house didn't really help any of that." I look at Peter, his head is down. He's always been pretty ashamed of that even though he wasn't part of it. He even argued against it.

_That's why he's so nice to you! Guilt! I wonder how long you can play that card. I'll file it away. For later._

"I almost killed you when I broke out. I don't even remember what you said that stopped me," I admit. Peter doesn't say anything.

"You've been awfully subdued lately," he says finally.

_Oh no, look what you started. You're bringing out the feels again._

"You're a lot better today than you have been. I hope it's not because you've been killing more in the past week than you have in the last two months," he says sharply.

"Partly. But, THINGS. And STUFF," I say, not without taking a moment to enjoy his obvious displeasure with the joy I take from killing.

"The things and stuff are a little taboo," he says. He grabs my arm and yanks me around a building. "That's the guy. Blue suit with grey tennis shoes, briefcase. Before you get all gun crazy, we can get him alive if we-" Nope. I burst out from behind the building.

"HEY!" It gets his attention, and the attention of several others. "Didn't anyone tell you stealing is wrong? And that there are people willing to make you feel very sorry about doing it?" The guy sprints off ducks into an alley before I can grab a gun and shoot.

"Great, now he's going to get away," Peter sighs as he runs after the guy with me.

"You told me not to kill him," I point out.

"Do I really have to say 'don't let him get away' too?" he rants.

"He's not going to get away," I promise. There he is. Cornered. I ready my gun. "Look man. Nothing personal. You took money that SHIELD could be using to pay me. They pay my electric bill with it instead so I guess it's a wash. Genius, by the way, rob a place with your running shoes on."

"Just give it back, we don't want to kill you," Peter says. "We'll take you in, we have to, but-"

"If you do that, the boss'll kill me!" the man yells. So I shoot. He slumps over, very dead.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Peter screams, both hands on his head. I look at him, then at my gun.

"I saved his boss some trouble. You don't even know who that is but he has a list of offenses longer than mine," I tell him.

"Like what?!" He still seems pretty traumatised by the body before us. I hoist it over my shoulder and get the case with my other hand.

"Black Market shit. He's stolen a lot of stuff from SHIELD and all its little subsets. Did you know SHIELD has more than one division? Multiple divisions with multiple subsets, like some mega ant colony."

"How do you know this stuff? About him?" he asks. He's following me back to SHIELD but keeping his distance.

"Sometimes, Fury leaves papers on his desk with the door wide open. How am I supposed to resist?"

"You have any idea what they're going to do to you if you walk in with a body?" he asks, starting to calm down.

"Probably give you… No, you don't kill. No, I have no idea," I answer. "But we're about to find out!"

* * *

"Uh, I just killed this guy and handled a theft recovery," I say to the receptionist. She doesn't turn to look at me.

"It's you. Go see Fury about it, then," she says with a disgusted sigh.

"We have a-"

"Take it to Fury, Parker. What I said applies to you too." She still won't look at us. The security that normally seems to wait for me is too busy taking care of a Hulk-related incident, so we just strolled in. And now we're just strolling onto an elevator. Peter's staring at me holding the body.

"I can't believe I'm friends with you," he says finally.

"Me either, but that's ok. Except you chase my brain away, it kinda shuts up when you're here," I say.

"You're really nuts aren't you," he asks me, not unkindly. "What are you going to do, drop the body on his floor?"

"I hadn't got that far yet, but yeah, probably," I say with no concern on what happens. Fury is in his office and actually jumps up to greet us.

_Aww, look how grateful he is! He wants to thank you right away!_

"What is this?" he roars at us. Peter shrinks back, but I just drop the body at his feet and hold the briefcase out.

"Got the money back. Is there enough in here that I can have half as a reward?" I ask.

"Why did you bring the fuckin' BODY here?" Fury snaps at me.

"Well. Disneyland seemed too far away. I shoulda held onto him for a while so I could use the car pool lane though. And on the bright side, he isn't in Bruce's heater duct," I tell him as I watch him start shaking with anger. "Look, I did the job on my day off, you should be thanking me."

"I'm sorry, I asked him to go with me, I should know better," Peter interrupts quickly. Fury buries his face in his hands.

"S'fine. I'll have someone clean this up. I'll have checks for you both tomorrow morning. The clean up cost is coming from your pay, Wade," he says, trying to stay calm.

_Don't argue, they pay your electric bill. Did Peter hear that? Did he already know?_

"I'll get him out of here before he causes you any more grief," Peter says, trying to steer me back towards the elevator. "C'mon, I promised you lunch. We need to let Fury chill out anyway."

"Am I still getting part of your pay?" I ask.

"You're getting your own pay, absolutely not!"

* * *

"So, you just let her pull it off?" Peter's still trying to process what I'm telling him. We're stashed away in a back corner with our masks up just enough to eat.

"Well, I'd already kissed her at that point. Honestly I'm just tired of having to get all suited up every time I need to make a pee-dash in the middle of the night. The two or three whole nights she's been there," I say. "But it's ok, she wants to see who she's living with, who she was in bed with."

"Last part of that is enough to get you in trouble," he warns again. "Seriously, if Fury gets wind of this, you'll be very gone."

"I'll risk it," I tell him after a long silence.

"Wade, do you have any idea what the hell you're doing?" he presses. I shake my head.

"But I didn't before, and that's something you need to remember. If I hadn't been an idiot, I mean, she said she'd help me through it-" My eyes start to burn and I cut myself off. "Coulda been different," I finish quickly.

"Did you tell Nev?"

"Kinda. Told her I didn't want to talk about it. It was my fault and I don't want Nev thinking I'd get her wrapped up in any of that kind of danger. Did you bring me here to depress me?" I shoot back. He holds his hands up.

"Sorry, just seems a little weird on the outside looking in," he says. I look down at the table.

"It's weird on the inside looking around," I admit. Awkward silence. He starts laughing quietly. "What?"

"Does SHIELD really pay your electric bill? How'd you do that?"

_HA. He DIDN'T know. It's a funny story, tell it!_

"Well, when I went to get my electricity turned on, I used SHIELD's address and some made up name for the billing info, something like John Johnson or something stupid. They've been paying the bill for 6 years," I tell him, smiling.

_Damn you're slick._

"You're crazy. I can't believe they haven't noticed. Do they pay anything else? Cable?" he presses, still grinning.

"Nah, I spliced into the cable. I know the cable people have noticed but they don't care. And the water bill is barely twenty so I just pay that," I explain. I stop when I see the server coming our way. Peter starts up as soon as he's gone.

"Could have Nev hack some extra TV channels for you," he suggests.

"Yeah, we thought that would be pushing it though," I say. "But I haven't let go of that thought."

"One more thing?" Peter says. I've already started stuffing my face. "I know you're excited, and I don't blame ya, but try to be discreet as long as you can."


	9. My Mistakes Were Made For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade and Nev take another step down their path, and Gaerna's story isn't over.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
**The chapter title is a song by The Last Shadow Puppets. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**  
 **Granted, this chapter is slow fluff. The thing is, I actually want the relationship part of the story to have some foundation. Also, there will be NO sex scenes. Because reasons.**

* * *

It's getting dark. I don't know what time it is, but being winter the sun goes down so early now. Most of SHIELD has dispersed for now, but a few rooms are still lit. I go back up to where I'd left Nev, and she's still there at the computer. The room is otherwise empty.

"How late are you supposed to stay?" I ask, watching her conquer the letter and number sequences as they flash across the screen.

"I could have left half an hour ago, but I wanted to wait for you. Mostly because you have the only key if I want to get back into your place," she says, trying not to smile. "We can leave now, if you want."

"Not if you're in the middle of something. I recall making a statement about origami cranes and covering the walls with them. See, the up side of my many pocketed belt is that I can store origami paper and pins. I came prepared," I say sort of absently. "The people around here get mad when I use their stationary for stuff like that."

"When did you learn origami?" Nev asks, still concentrating.

"Probably the same time I learned to make pancakes. Those are easy. Crepes are not. Crepes are evil bastards," I tell her as I start rooting around for the paper. I pull out a fairly decent sized stack and sit at the desk next to hers. I push the key board away and start folding. I notice Nev looking from the screen to watch intermittently.

"Can you make anything else?" she asks, eyeing the growing pile of multi-coloured paper birds.

"Yeah, one other thing. Two if you wanna split hairs." I finish up the crane and start folding the other thing. "If you stop here, it's a hat. But if you keep going… Now it's a boat. But cranes can't steer boats and don't wear hats so you'll have to keep it." I set it on the desk space in front of her.

"The USS Hack n Slash," Nev says before going back to work. I watch what she's doing now, but I still can't make sense of what I'm looking at.

_Why hack n slash? That seems like a pretty brutal name for a completely adorable paper ship. Unless… she's a hacker and you…_

"Hack n slash. I see what you did there," I say finally. She laughs and turns her eyes to me.

"Took you a minute," she teases. "I should be done with this sequence in about 45 minutes. Make as many cranes as you can and I'll help you pin them before we leave."

_Oh, bonding! You haven't done that in a while! Well, technically you're doing it now, so you're already a step ahead._

* * *

"So, 847 cranes. Who's gonna come in to admire them?" I ask as we look at our paper crane wall paper.

_Maybe you should herd the ducks from the pond in and see what they think._

"Honestly probably only me. And Maria because she's overseeing my testing." Nev looks disappointed. "But it sure looks cool." It had taken almost an hour to get them all up, but it was worth it. Nev's still holding the boat I made. "Origami doesn't seem very Deadpoolish," she says after several moments of silence.

"Yeah well, no one ever asks about that stuff," I answer, feeling a little bummed now that she's brought it up. "I am mostly witty remarks and killing blows, but no one ever asks what I do outside of that. Mostly nothing, but sometimes I like folding paper and cooking batter on a stove."

We shut the lights out and start heading for the exit. This building is creepy at night. Nev must think so too, she's looking around at everything. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding as we step outside and the door closes behind us, clicking as it locks to anyone outside trying to get in.

"That place is weird enough when it's daylight. At night it's just like those places you see in those goofy ghost hunter shows," she says, taking a moment to look up at the mostly darkened building. It is actually pretty intimidating. I'm ready to be free from this place, and we make for the new vehicle.

_How many people know you're the new teacher's pet and got the Oprah treatment? Might make them more bitter. Can't win for losing can you?_

* * *

She's sitting on the other end of the sofa from me again. The difference is that this time, her legs are draped over my lap. Our empty Chinese food containers are packed in the bag they came in, but neither of us have been motivated enough to get up and throw it away. Or in my case, I'm just so thrilled for the contact that I'm not going to break it.

_Sweet Lord you sound desperate. The last woman to touch you was Natasha, and that was more of a slap than an affectionate touch._

"I sure hope you never slap me," I say, regretting it immediately. Nev giggles.

"Don't give me a reason," she says smartly. Before the battle of slightly witty remarks can get into swing, my phone goes off. Nev points at hers in the wall. "Does it need a buddy?"

"No. I learned the very painful and hard way that Cable does not like his calls ignored." I reluctantly answer it. "What?"

"We took out Lady Gaerna-"

"Who?" I ask.

"-out in Egypt-"

"When were we in Egypt?" I ask again.

"Wade, you almost blew yourself up. Did you do that whole mission without knowing anything about it?" he's almost yelling.

"Maybe." I look sideways at Nev, her hands are over her mouth trying to hide that she's smiling at me. I make a face at her and she quietly laughs.

"Well listen to this. She wasn't the ring leader. Tomorrow we're taking Clint and Natasha-"

"No. One of them slapped me and I fought the other," I argue. "If they're going, I'll be hiding in my closet, where you won't find me."

"I'll hope it wasn't Clint who smacked you," he says slowly.

"No, it was Natasha. Apparently she didn't appreciate me appreciating how low she had her zipper down. It was a compliment," I pout.

"God, Wade, really?" Nev asks.

"And why'd you fight Clint?" Cable asks with a sigh.

"I don't remember, but he paid me and it was sorta fun," I say, trying to remember the details better.

"That was Bullseye." Cable sounds impatient.

"Bull, hawk, I don't care which animal is his favourite this week. But now that I remember it was fun going after him, ok. He can come. But not Natasha," I say firmly.

"She's coming. You're coming. Bullseye and Hawkeye are two different people. See you tomorrow." He hangs up and I slump a bit.

"He got the last word. You seem disappoint," Nev says. I nod.

"It's like losing. I lose enough arguments with my brain, I don't like losing them with actual people," I tell her. Her legs are still over my lap, and in looking to be comforted I get brave enough to rest my hand on her knee.

_Is no reaction good or bad? If you pull back that'll definitely get you-_

"I'm going with you, right?" Her voice snaps me from listening to my brain.

"Probably. Did you want to stay here?"

_You don't want her to stay here. You'd feel so much better if she's there when you finish whatever you're doing._

"Because I'd like it better if you went. Someone I don't cringe at when I see them," I say slowly. She swings her legs away from me-

_Now ya did it. You couldn't say 'someone I like'?_

But in place of that, she moves my arm to rest along the back of the sofa and leans into my side, legs stretched out to the other end.

_Let's change the tone. Yay, you did it! Claps for Wade!_

"Hello," is all I can say. She tilts her head up to look at me.

"Good hello?" she asks, sounding almost nervous. I drop my arm around her in response.

Somehow over the next hour of doing nothing but watching the TV, which I'm great at, we devolve to her laying on me with her head on my chest and our legs tangled and both my arms around her. Maybe it's Cable's non-negotiable employment distracting me. Maybe it's that I told Peter and he didn't discourage me. Maybe it's that the first thing I did when we walked in was take off the stupid mask, and instead of screaming or getting sick, Nev gave me a big toothy grin. But any worry I had about this forming relationship is very gone. For now.

_This is great and all, but if you slept like this you'd probably destroy your back._

"I do need my back for stuff like walking." Nev moves her head to look up at me. "We should go to bed if we're going to sleep, which I'm starting to have problems fighting off." I clarify for her. "Couch is nice, just not for sleeping. It's a little short for me." I pull her up with me as I sit up. She stays where she is when I stand and make for the hallway.

"Should we… Should I sleep out here tonight?" Nev asks. I freeze at the entrance to the hallway. I don't look at her.

"That's kind of a tricky question. Should you? Probably. But I don't want you to. Also it's still pretty cold, with winter lasting longer than just last night," I say.

_You're being awfully dangerous about this._

"It's worth the risk," I counter myself. I do have moments where me talking to myself turns out to be a good thing. This is one of those times. I don't hear her move but suddenly her arms are around me and her head is against my back. Pretty sure my heart just broke its own speed record. She pulls away and goes around me to slip into the bathroom, to change presumably.

I make my way to my room, and nudge the door closed to change. I hesitate pulling the suit off. Sure, I sleep in a shirt and pants mostly because I've got some prescription grade self-esteem issues regarding my appearance, and partly because it's cold. But I'm still wary about… Well, appearances are more important than most people will admit. No sooner had I gotten comfortable when I feel her get into bed beside me. I turn over and take her in my arms. I bury the lower part of my face in her hair, kiss the top of her head. I'm wondering what I did to deserve this... and when I'm going to lose it.

_Just shut up and enjoy it. You're happy, and she's happy. Don't destroy this one, if you can manage. Don't add to the hurt of the others._

As if on cue to quell my insecurities, she shifts in my arms and her lips find mine in the darkness.

* * *

"You look unusually happy. I feel like we should all be on alert," Natasha says, looking at me suspiciously.

"I see you already are," I shoot back, making a boob-grab hand motion at her. She swings to slap me, but I was expecting that, she's done it before, and step back out of her reach.

"Why are we taking you again? We could probably do this without you," she says. "But I trust Steve, so-"

"Jesus, is he coming too? Who ISN'T coming?" I ask, annoyed.

"He isn't, relax. He just told us that you were a great choice," she says, looking past me. "Ask him yourself what he said." I look behind me as he walks into the room.

"Curious?" he asks. I nod dumbly. "After what you did getting the particles back- and you'll have to excuse Tony being mad that you took the spotlight from him- I went to ask Cable what really happened the night you two ran off. Why'd you let him take the credit?" He looks puzzled. I lift myself up to sit on the table in the middle of the room.

"Would you have believed me at that point?" I ask. "Be honest, lying is immoral!" He's quiet.

"Regardless of that, you impressed me back there. Since you already handled a sect of this organization, and because of the ability you demonstrated earlier this week, I thought you should be included. You could always back out, but I'd be disappointed if you did. I know you're a good choice for this," he says.

_He sounds like Parker, being all righteous and feely. What's wrong with these people?_

"No. I'll go," I say, looking at him guardedly. "You talked to Parker didn't you?"

"I did. He agreed with me, if that means anything," he says with a shrug.

"Your only issue is that you kill everyone you see, and as far as I know there's nothing wrong with your eyesight," Natasha quips.

_Are you… speechless?! You're the one failing me here._

"I'm not speechless. I just don't have anything to say," I mumble.

"That is essentially the same thing," Steve says. He looks at Cable as he plows past and takes a seat at the table. "Where's Hawkeye?"

"He's probably picking his animal of the day," I say with a nod.

"Wilson, you're an idiot. I explained to you last night that they're different people," Cable spits. He's not in a good mood.

_Hurry, think of something to say that'll really rile him up!_

"And why animal eyeballs anyway? Or eyeball, it isn't plural, is it. Because he could be like Hawkwing or Bullhorn or maybe next he can be Lobstertail-" Cable flips the table, sending me tumbling into the wall, the corner of the table sticking me under my right lung.

"This is already getting off to a great start," Clint says, looking at us all.

"'Sup Lobstertail," I say, giving him a little wave. He sighs and is nice enough to help get the table off me.

"I know you have some… differences, so do I really want you to explain why you called me Lobstertail? I'm not buying anyone lobster dinner, before anyone asks," he says quickly.

"Nah, I just think Hawkeye is a weird animal/body part combination," I tell him. I peek out the door, looking for Nev. She'd stopped in to see Fury, but that was almost twenty minutes ago.

_Parker said to be close-lipped about this._

"Yeah, because I'm always close-lipped about everything."

"Not even a little," Cable grumbles. "But you could probably afford to be a little less talkative."

"He's fine," Steve says. I look at him, both suspicious and grateful over his attitude.

"If you don't like the table, fine, but you don't have to throw it," Coulson says. Clint and I move to set it back. "Normally I'd let Cable here get this underway, but with Clint and Natasha joining you, well. Sit down, be quiet, and listen.' He's looking at me.

"Me? I would never," I say, feigning shock.

"Ok, here's what we know…"

_Didn't he say not to fall asleep? No, he said listen. You can listen and sleep at the same time…_


	10. Separate And Ever Deadly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revenge is sought on Gaerna's behalf. This is bad news for Nev.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a song by The Last Shadow Puppets. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

"You need to stay awake for these." Steve says. "I'm not going to keep waking you so no one notices you've konked out."

"You don't have to. But thanks I guess," I tell him. I'm not sure why he stayed, since he's not going. But Nev is supposed to, and she's not here. I'm almost ready to call Fury as we step out onto the roof, the sudden brightness of the sun blinding me, but when my eyes adjust she's there at the jet, laughing with Fury. It's a bigger jet than before, since it's carrying more people.

"You keep her out of trouble," Fury says quietly to me.

"I wasn't planning on letting her into combat. I didn't last time, did I?" I ask him, almost offended. He shakes his head.

_Though at this point, getting paid to keep her safe is just a bonus. You'd do it for free now._

"Can't help it. You of all people know what it's like to be all over protective," he says, his voice still low. It wasn't unkind, and I know exactly what he's talking about. "And I don't wanna hear about none of y'all fightin' each other. We have an enemy to kill, beat the shit outta them." Everyone mumbles their agreement as I watch him leave the roof. A tug on my hand gets my attention.

"Nervous?" Nev asks.

"Pft. No. I don't have Tony's stupid ass to save this time. Should go a lot better," I answer, following her into the jet. Last ones on. And a pair of side-by-seats waiting for us. Nev's already taken the window, looking at me, pleased with herself.

"Want the window seat? It's for sale." Very Fury of her.

"That's extortion isn't it? No. Keep it. If I fall asleep I'll just fall into the isle, get kicked and stepped on," I tease.

"Oh well!" she smiles. I sigh and sit at her side. She can have it, I had it last time.

"So Wade. How's it going?" Natasha asks. I look at her, puzzled. "Are you and Guinevere getting along?" Is she being nice to me?

_Oh, artificial kindness. Yeah, no, don't let Nev see how you feel about me._

"Going well. I certainly can't complain," Nev answers for me.

"Ha, you aren't trying to kill him yet?" Clint jokes. I'm not sure I want to get into a conversation.

"Not yet. Honestly, he's been pretty nice." She produces the origami boat from her pocket. "Not quite a yacht, but the thought was there." Everyone looks at it like it's a genuine van Gogh or something.

"Not very Deadpool," Clint says finally.

"See, Nev," I say, rubbing my eyes. "Pretty sure I told you about this last night."

"You did." She now addresses Clint and Natasha. Cable's already got his face in a book and isn't paying us any attention. He already knows more or less everything about me anyway. "He made a bunch of cranes and we pinned them to the wall in the security training room."

"Well, we can see it when we get back. Something to do before the paperwork,' Natasha says. The conversation dies and I look at Nev, settling in her seat with the boat still in her hands. She's looking out the window as the pilot levels the jet out properly.

_Kinda too bad you can't read minds. The way she looks out like that, at something no one else can see… Would be interesting to know what it is._

"Remember when we first met, and I told you that maybe there was something I could do about your rank on the totem pole?" she asks without looking at me. I don't answer, hoping she'll just keep her train of thought rolling. "I wasn't just saying that to make you feel better. I am actually trying." And if there were less people here, I'd have taken in her in my arms and not let go.

* * *

"The place is shut down. We have enough manpower, weapon power… we aren't getting in," Cable says. I am actually listening. But I'm studying the compound. There are a lot of guards out, but I'm sure we can kill them.

_Two melee, a tank, and a ranged. No healer, but that's ok. Wait, are you gonna be the tank? Meat shield!_

"Guinevere, that's where we'll need you," Cable says, stopping there. I turn to him, he's staring at me, challenging me to argue the point.

"I was told to keep her out of trouble," I say, not sure how to argue this without being obvious.

"Well, now it should be easier with her at your side as opposed to all the way here at the jet," Clint says, like it's no big deal. I straighten myself. "If we want to do this, we need to get in. If we're gonna get in, all the security systems need to be hacked." I turn my head to Nev but can't look at her.

"It'll be fine. Get in, get out, don't let anyone know I was there," she says. She certainly doesn't sound scared.

"On my signal, Natasha go left, Wade go right. Get the ground forces down; there are a lot, but not so many you two can't handle it. Clint, get the boys in the towers as fast as you can. Guinevere and I will stay here until we get the signal that it's clear. We should have about forty five seconds to get through the main gate and into the building. There's a single tunnel that goes down, a big ramp with twelve security doors. The twelfth leads into the main operation quarters. There are a few side rooms, but we don't have time to bother with them." Cable takes a breath and looks at us all.

"What happens after forty five seconds?" Natasha asks almost timidly.

"We'll be safe underground but the courtyard will flood with backup," he answers.

"Safe," Clint chuckles. "In a relative way, I'm guessing."

"More or less. If there are no more questions…" Cable motions for us to go. He pulls Clint aside and Natasha starts moving. I hesitate, but reluctantly begin to follow her.

"Wade." I turn back to Nev. She gives me a subtle 'come hither' motion, and I stand close enough that we're almost touching. "I want this suit back with not a rip in it, got it?" I smile.

_Look, someone who isn't Peter on a good day cares about you! Did you bribe her and block the memory?_

"I'll do my best," I tell her quietly. She reaches up, standing on her toes, and takes my face in her hands, and kisses my forehead over my mask.

"Wilson, let's go," Natasha calls.

_Oh, you better hope she didn't see that._

I take a final look at Nev before going on. Natasha's staring at me as we slip in closer to the building's fortress walls. I'm kind of getting' that itch again. I want to stab or slice or shoot. I think it's all the adrenaline kicking in. And the fact that Natasha won't stop looking at me.

"What?" I ask. "Did I grow an extra head? 'Cause that'd be great, I'd be able to talk to myself without drawing crazy looks."

"What was that about?" she asks.

_Damnit._

"What?" I ask, trying to play dumb.

"Nev? And you?" She raises an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure you're only supposed to be playing the teaching role here."

"I am. What'chu talkin' 'bout 'Tasha?" I hope I sound more confident than I feel.

"You're lucky we don't have more time for this," she says, nodding towards the cliff that Cable's on, flashing his little signal light at us. "Don't use your gun. It'll be loud, and we need to be a little less obvious than that. Be careful." She hurries off to her side, and I dart towards the right. First guy, all alone. Throat slit, easy job.

_Look, there's another. Look, he sees you!_

I wave at him, then pounce on him and slide my blade through his skull before he can yell.

"Yeah, no such thing as a lone guard," I mumble to myself. I press through guard after guard. A steady little stream, definitely the easiest part of all this. Only once do I fear ruining it all, one manages to scream, but only two other come to his aid. Easy enough. Natasha and I meet up almost exactly in the middle of the wall opposite the gate where we started from.

"All good?" she asks. I nod. "Me, too." She follows me around again, signals our three other team mates, and they meet us at the very locked nearly indestructible gate. Nev's got the little iHack ready. She pulls the faceplate off of the code panel in the wall left of the gate, and plugs said iHack in.

"Stupid design, but it's what everyone uses. The port is actually for a manual override chip, and most people don't even realize that faceplate comes off. They don't all take the same chip, but this one here is a skeleton chip. I think only three people knew of its existence prior to right now," Nev says, not losing concentration. The gates slide open and we hurry in, to be greeted by another door.

"As soon as we start descending, we're going to start having trouble. 'Til we get down to where we need to be, just fight everything off and let Guinevere get the doors open," Cable says. She giggles, almost madly, as the main door opens.

"This is easy too. For a super mastermind, he's rubbish at passwords. Oh, a happy number pattern. How creative," she mocks.

"Happy number? As opposed to what, a depressed number? Pissed off number?" I ask.

"Actually yeah," Clint says. "Well, unhappy, or sad numbers. Terminology varies." We just have the little peons right now. I don't recall how far down we need to go, but we're at door three and I have a feeling there's something bigger than what we were facing behind that door. Doesn't stop me from wondering about sad and happy numbers.

"One, nineteen, thirty one, sixty eight, eighty two… Guh, weird pattern," Nev looks stumped.

"No pressure but these guys are little worse than what we've dealt with thus far," Cable says.

"And soon, you will be overwhe-" Bad guy wants to die? Ok!

"Overwhelmed just like your head was by my bullet? Not likely," I say to the corpse.

"Ninety seven. Open, gogo," Nev says quickly, pushing forward. The doors close behind us as we go, but there's a side door in each corridor that these guys just pour out of.

_Pretty stupid layout. I'd love to see a blueprint of this place._

We make our way through the twelfth door, a bloody trail of bodies behind us, and this looks like a headquarters. It's just a massive underground warehouse, but it looks mostly empty. Except for that guy, he is just gigantic. Like Hulk but otherwise normal…ish looking. He golfclaps for us.

"Congratulations, you found our base. What, was blowing my wife to bits not enough for you?" he taunts.

_Did we get his name? No, you slept through Coulson's little pep rally. Good job._

"Was our message unclear?" Natasha asks.

"You're messing with a very dangerous organization," Clint adds.

"Dangerous?" he chuckles. I step sideways, putting myself between him and Nev. He motions behind him, at a very large bomby missile… thing. "You want to know what's dangerous? You want to know why my security wasn't stronger? I wanted you to see ME. THAT WEAPON RIGHT THERE WILL WIPE THE ENTIRE AREA OF YOUR SILLY LITTLE CIRCUS CLEAN OFF THE EARTH!"

"So what's your motivation?" I ask.

"Wilson. Shut up." Cable's looking at me somewhere between terrified and furious.

"No, I mean, your apparent wife was rabbling on about "Mutants shot my pa-paw" or something, frankly I wasn't listening-"

"Clearly, she was talking about me. THIS is what your little organization did to me!" he bellows.

"You sure you don't mean Xavier?" I press. "SHIELD's not really into the mutant thing, unless you count Hulk and sometimes Logan shows up. I wish I could tell you we all sit around playing board games-"

"Do you EVER shut up?"

"Not while I'm trying to improvise a plan, no. There might be one, I did that thing where I don't listen," I say with a shrug. He growls, giving me that battery acid stare.

"I applied for your SHIELD decades ago and was sent to Xavier instead. I was experimented upon and, ultimately, I was rejected. I was 'imperfect', 'weak'. THEY NEVER SAW WHAT I COULD DO!" He grows. As if he wasn't massive enough, now he's like the troll from Harry Potter but much fatter.

"They ruined your life? You want revenge? Is that your whole point?" Clint asks, fingers twitching on his bow.

"Yeah that's a pretty weak plot," I tell him.

"And you have any idea what this is like? AND NOW YOU'VE KILLED MY WIFE, TOO!" He slams one of his huge ham fists into the ground. My first thought is that it's going to set the damn bomb off. My second thought is gibberish, thanks to the concussive force of the impact.

_Completely scrambled. Well, this is normal for you anyway._

All I'm able to make out at first is that we are surrounded by this guy's goons. Briefly. They fall back.

_Why are they running? Oh, the have a hostage now. That's great._

"You took my wife from me, you mutant-sympathizing scum." That was addressed at all of us, but now his eyes are on me. "I saw you move, to protect your little lover. I know it was you who took my wife from me, let me return the favour."


	11. Don't You Dare Take My Hand If You Want To Be Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade makes it inescapably clear that Nev is important to him.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a line from the song Be Free by King Dude and Chelsea Wolfe. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  
The "No weapon, no army..." line is from Longmire. I am not affiliated with A&E or Longmire in any way and hold no rights to that line.  


* * *

Oh no. No no no. Very wrong thing to say to me. I'm still reeling from the impact and his threat, so seeing Nev behind him, held by his little lackeys, isn't helping.

"Give her back," Clint says. He sounds like he's under water.

"That isn't going to work, but I think you know that," Cable tells him softly.

"Guessing a please wouldn't do much," Natasha says.

_All under water. You'll heal up in a minute. Except for the anger issues, that doesn't meet the requirements. That's up to you._

I rush forward, weapons at the ready. Hamfist staggers back, blocking my way to Nev, instead sending his swarm of nobodies at us. I don't know if my team is fighting with me. I've got a gun and a blade and people are dying, but they're making me

_Us?_

work for it. By the time they've all gone down the floor looks like an ocean of bodies.

"You're out of peons, buddy," I tell him. "I notice you didn't lift a fucking finger. S'wrong, can't fight?"

"Wade, we can nego-" Cable, always trying to find a harder way.

"Oh I have a negotiation. Is she worth your life? Because you can't have it and her, too." I'm baiting him. I want him to rush me. He laughs. Nearly hysterically. Just like his Gaerna when she knew she was going to die.

"You better have a God damned amazing plan," Natasha whispers.

"I do. I'm not letting her end up on the casualty list at the end of the quarter, that's my plan," I say.

"You're very funny. The difference between us, right this minute, is that she's still alive. You don't know the pain of losing-" He thinks I should be the one to shut up. He really knows what buttons to push, I'll give him that. I jump at him, I'm faster, smaller means more agile, and I dig into his chest with my blades, get right in his ugly face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Natasha yells.

"Clint, put it down, not yet," Cable warns.

"I've been in your exact position, you son of a bitch. She's gone because of something I DRAGGED HER INTO. I was tryin' real hard not to do that, and it happened anyway. And it isn't going to happen again, certainly not by YOUR ham hands," I hiss at him.

"But it will. See, I'm going to kill you all, and send your little girlfriend here to SHIELD on my lovely missile," he taunts. "She, not unlike my wife, will be blown to Hell. Quite literally." The room starts spinning, and I'm afraid I'm going to black out before I can kill this fucker.

"You will have to actually kill me first, which I'm happy to tell you isn't physically possible. And let me tell you somethin' else. You've flat out pissed me right the fuck off. There is no weapon, no army, that can protect you from the sheer hell that is MY rage." I'm starting to shake and I really hope he can't tell.

"You think I can't kill you?! LET ME PROVE YOU WRONG!" He rips me off of him and throws me, but the distance between him and my landing point is far enough that I have time to get my legs under me and bounce back at him. I hear Cable's kill command, or attack command, not sure where he stands on that whole killing thing right now. I know I have back up now – Clint's arrows barely missing me, Natasha's unmistakable weapon sound effects - but it's not deterring me from completely losing my shit on this guy. He's shrinking, power draining from the force of our attacks. Still huge, but more manageable.

_He stopped fighting back. Don't accept a surrender. Double tap, triple trap, leave him in more pieces than his batshit wife!_

He's definitely out of the fight but that hasn't stopped me, I'd be ripping him apart with my teeth if I could. I throw my gun to the side and unsheathe my second blade, just relishing in the feel of them dragging through his flesh. Someone behind me gets sick.

"Enough, Wade, we killed him," Clint calls. "Please."

I only stop when I feel Cable yank me off. I collapse to my knees, blades still in my hands but resting on the floor, and I'm staring at my handiwork. I slump forward, feeling very drained.

_You probably shouldn't be proud of this. Actually you should probably be afraid of getting locked up again._

The room is silent except for me trying to catch my breath. When I start to lift my head again, I can see Natasha working with the bomb. She walks back over, being careful not to look at the mutilated corpse I've left. I start to look around for Nev, she sure as all shit better be safe, and I can see her shoes as she steps in front of me. She crouches, her face near mine.

_You're soaked in blood spatter from a body covered in your knife work, knife work any sushi house would admire. You're either going to get slapped or called a bad name._

"All that because you were trying to save me?" she asks with a bit of a smile. I'm not sure I trust her just yet.

"We need to go. Now," Cable says. "All the guys that were up there are likely going to flood in here in the next two minutes. We need to at least get up the rampway and into a side room before they all bumrush this one." I only sort of hear him. Nev's taken my wrists and is pulling me up with her.

"I got your gun, Wade. Let's move it," Clint calls to me. I manage to look away from Nev, to him, and I sheathe my weapons, take her hand, and hurry after them. The doors are all unlocked still. And we make it to the 9th door before Cable decides to make a quick hide. Nev hacks the side door open and we wait until their stomping footsteps pass. Nev hooks a right, but out is left.

"Hang on, gonna lock them in," she says. She's looking at Natasha but I don't know why. It scares me when Natasha grins at her. We follow, watch as Nev hacks the door locked with a code that involves letters and numbers. And we try the whole leaving thing again. It's thankfully clear the rest of the way to the top, and it's only when we reach the jet that I notice Natasha still has the detonator.

"Gonna blow 'er up?" Clint asks before I can.

"Gets the job done right?" Natasha answers, pushing the button. We hear it before we can see it. Sand and rock and metal and glass exploding up from the ground. I hear the pilot call to us, but I can't make out what he's saying. I don't care. I don't need any encouragement to get in. Nev is standing by the seats we had before, and my throat tightens at the thought that I may have scared her off.

_Little too aggressive there, partner. She should appreciate it, you saved her and all._

"You can have the window. I think you earned it," she says. She smiles more with her eyes than her lips. As soon as I drop down into the seat she's at my side. Leaning into my side is more accurate. And at this point, I'm just too tired and too relieved to care who's looking.

_You've been more dangerous today that you have been in the last year. Someone had their Wheaties today!_

"Y'know, most of that blood probably isn't dry yet. I'm not sure how safe it is to touch me right now," I warn her. She looks me over.

"Dry enough," she says finally. I try to angle towards her a bit, back sorta towards the window. It's a little more comfortable for both of us. Being in the back, no one's looked at us just yet. They're also calling in to SHIELD, Fury, Coulson, whoever. By the time they notice us, Nev's fallen asleep. Her head is resting over my heart, one hand on the other side of my chest. I have an arm around her, my other hand over hers. I can feel her breathing and I'm just zoned out feeling… better.

"So I was right," Natasha says smugly, bringing me back to Earth. Clint and Cable heard too. They're both looking at me.

"Yep. Grats. You want a cookie or a medal? I hope you say medal 'cause you definitely have the chest to pin it on," I say sort of half-heartedly. She rolls her eyes.

"Does Fury know?" Clint asks. Thankfully they're being quiet enough that Nev can sleep through it. I know I'm gonna get grilled like carne asada now.

"No. And he isn't going to until Nev decides to tell him," I say, my tone leaving no room for arguments, even in jest.

"It's your business. I'm not one for office gossip anyway. Too petty," Cable says, turning back around.

"I know the idea of you taking her in was protested, but I bet it wasn't because they expected this," Natasha presses, smiling.

"Does anyone else know?" Clint asks.

"Do you know any game other than twenty billion questions?" I shoot back. "But yeah Peter knows."

"It'll be a few hours til we land. We'll let you have your privacy," Clint says, giving Natasha a nudge. They both turn around, whispering to each other. And I'm still way too unsorted to care.

* * *

_Just to be safe, drop the armrest between the seats back down. LEAVE NO EVIDENCE!_

"Evidence cleared," I say, putting the armrest down. I look at Nev, who just has her head tilted at me. "Pretty much all three of them saw anyway so I dunno what that actually helps. I expect them to spread it even though they said they wouldn't." Nev shrugs.

"Let'em talk," she says, stretching her arms over her head. She follows me off the jet, and we're immediately pounced on by Fury. I freeze, thoroughly convinced he knows. Instead, he's fussing over Nev, making sure she's ok and that nothing happened and whatever else parents razzle their kids about.

"Wade?" He's talking to me now. I look at him, he looks very grateful. Like, real grateful, not "why'd you dump a body at my feet" grateful. "Thank you for keeping her safe. I didn't really wanna listen to Peter, I'll be damn honest with ya. But you're out there provin' him right. You might wanna thank him some time." He smiles-

_Can he actually smile?_

as he turns and walks back inside. I'd really prefer to stay outside right now. Or go home. But Nev's going inside with Fury, and something about my paper cranes, and I know the paperwork isn't going to be negotiable tonight either. Plus, it's cold and my throat is getting dry.

Fury makes his exit at the elevator, going down to leave for the night as I go up with Nev and my three coworkers. We pass the security training room on the way to paperwork Hell room, and surprisingly everyone remembers to stop and look.

"Wow. All I want to ask is why you made so many," Cable says, looking at the crane wall.

"Nev was being slow," is all I can say. She giggles, which is good. Natasha steps closer to examine them more.

"For what it's worth, I think this'll go down as 'the day I learned and admitted Deadpool isn't a complete pain in the ass'," she says.

'Don't worry, there's a compliment in there," Clint promises as we leave. Cable shuts the door as we walk into the only room I hate more than the 'here's the plan' room.

_Does your little rampage have to be included? Now, when Fury's THANKING you?_

"No one saw what happened there but us," Cable says slowly. We all turn to him. "If a couple of details didn't make it into the report, no one would be able to call us out."

"This is going to take… probably two hours as it is. Saving thirty minutes now and a lot of headaches tomorrow are likely in everyone's best interest," Clint agrees.

"We're leaving out whichever one of you threw up?" I ask.

"That, and what caused me to get sick in the first place," Natasha says. I nod.

"Ok. That would be nice. Getting out of here as fast as we can? Not gonna argue," I say, shuffling through all the papers. So many of them. Nev's already scribbling away, but I just flat out don't want to do this.

_At least they're cutting you some slack. They might even not hate you anymore! The faster you get started, the faster you can finish and leave…_

* * *

"Who was she?" Nev asks. I've just shut the car off after a comfortably quiet ride home. But now this.

"Who?" I ask, trying to throw her off.

"The woman who's gone. You started to talk about someone the first night we met. You said you didn't want to talk about it. What about now?" she asks gently. I look at the house. It's dark.

_You never leave a light on. You always seem to think you'll magically be home before it gets dark. Even in winter when that's not possible._

"It's ok, if you aren't," Nev says finally.

"No. We can talk about it. But I think it'd be a little more comfortable inside," I tell her. We slip inside, and I close the door behind us. Lock the door. Get the stupid itchy mask off. I sit at one end of the sofa, and Nev sits at my side. Always the attentive listener. But that's what I like about her. And I tell her the story of Vanessa the Copycat, and how I let my own stupidity ruin the best thing I'd ever had.

* * *

Aside from the very quiet hum of the heater, my room is deathly quiet. Still can't get any clear thought process going. I hadn't cried. I thought I would. My eyes teared up. But I hadn't cried. I don't know if Nev is awake. I'm holding her kinda like a kid holds their favourite teddy bear.

_You're needy again! And you said you wouldn't do that. To be fair, this isn't out of character for you._

I kiss the top of her head, leaving my face in her hair. She is awake, because at that she shifts back just a bit more, trying to get as close to me as she can.

"Unless I open my ribcage for you I think this is as close as we're gonna get," I murmur into her hair. She moves her legs back, tangling them with mine. And then she tells me with a reassuring tone,

"That's ok. I'm perfectly happy this way."

* * *

**I intentionally left Vanessa's story out, as I've seen two different versions of what's happened to her. This way, you can pick whichever version you like better.**


	12. Help, I'm Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade and Nev's secret has gotten out.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a song by Metric. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  


* * *

"Were you afraid last night? At all?" I ask. We're still in bed, still wrapped together.

"No." Nev takes a breath as if to say more, but is quiet. "On top of promising dad you'd keep me safe, you tried to keep me shielded from Rexgar, so I trusted that you wouldn't let it go any further than it had," she says finally. I search her eyes, but there's nothing there to betray her honest tone. Makes my heart lurch into my throat.

_Gaerna? Rexgar? Who named these people?_

"Pretty risky trusting me with something like your life," I muse.

"And you didn't fail me. It's been a while since anyone's trusted you about anything, hasn't it?" It's worded like a question but comes out like a statement.

"Fury trusted me to take care of you."

_That was almost a bad move. Looks like your instability has its perks._

"Being unstable saved everyone," I answer. I look down at Nev again. She's looking out the window, smiling.

"I didn't trust dad. To be honest, I'd already heard too much about you from a biased standpoint that I wasn't sure staying here would work," she says, shifting to face me a little more directly. "Certainly wasn't expecting this to happen."

"I'm glad it did," I tell her before she can ruin the feeling. Her eyes brighten, just a bit, as if in agreement.

_Why do you expect this to go wrong? It hasn't yet except for that time she was hauled off and held across the room from you._

I pull her tighter to me and kiss her. Nothing abnormal, not as of two days ago, but this time she drapes her leg over my waist. I feel my breath catch, and her hand goes to my cheek, maybe to keep me calm, maybe to keep me from pulling away.

_Yeah, like you were gonna stop._

I'd been holding her with my hand on her waist, but I slide it down now, over her hip, to rest on her thigh. Her teeth scrape my lower lip. I'm just starting to have high hopes when both of our phones go off together.

_Sort of symbolic._

"Symbolic of the universe always getting in the way," I sigh.

"Agreed," Nev mumbles. I honestly would have ignored the damn thing had hers not gone off at the same time. It's Parker. I decide not to answer it, but she answers hers. Holding the phone doesn't stop her from settling back as she was, leg over me and all.

"Yeah dad, I know we're late. Kind of a full day and all yesterday, then staying to get the paperwork done... We just both slept in." she says. She's a confident liar. "I didn't hear his ring, granted it's down the hall in his room but he likely slept through it."

_Note to self; have her teach you to lie this good._

I struggle to hold back a laugh, and she grins at me and puts two fingers to my lips. I put my hand over hers and give her fingers a gentle kiss.

"Yeah, I'll get him up and we'll be there in half an hour. Love you too." She reaches behind her to put the phone on the bedside table and leans in to kiss me. "Guess we'll have to finish this tonight." I grudgingly let her pull away and slip out of bed. I sit up against my pillows, pretending not to watch as she changes in front of me, the sunlight filtering in through the blinds and bathing her in gold.

_Love how careful she is to not expose the best parts._

"He didn't say anything about you having work on your plate," she says as she pulls a clean shirt over her head. "I have to practice but honestly, after yesterday I'm not sure how long that'll actually be." Nev looks at me.

_I'm pretty sure she knows you were watching her._

"My phone call was Parker. So I'll see what his problem is," I say. She comes back to me and hugs me, holds me. I slip my arms around her middle, rest my head against her chest and she kisses the top of my head.

"This time, just please don't dump a dead body at dad's feet? We want him to like you, remember?" She's smiling as she pulls away. I drag myself out of bed to dress.

"It was a very effective way of letting him know the job was done. Besides, that snot at the front desk wouldn't talk to me," I say.

_You better hope she's not Nev's friend. That won't go well._

"Funny. She seems nice enough to me. But, I'm me. Yay dad," she says, sounding almost bitter. She's walked into the hall to give me at least a little privacy. Funny that she picked up on my reluctance to show off my awesome bod.

"I'm trying to ride the coat tails of that, don't go bad mouthing it til it gets me out of the doghouse," I half tease. She giggles and starts for the door as I step into the hall next to her, pulling my mask the rest of the way on. Nev's at the passenger door of the car, watching me as I fumble with the doors.

"Y'know, your mask is great and all, but I like you better without it," she says.

"Well, right this minute I'm grateful for it," I admit. "Can't catch you seeing me looking happy. I have a reputation to uphold."

* * *

"Alert status has been raised to yellow for the following areas: X MANSION. Please stand by for further updates." Nev tilts her head up at the speakers in the ceiling.

"That's unusual. Wonder if it's cautionary or if something happened already," she says. I shrug.

"Probably a house-breaking accident involving a certain wolverine," I reply. I wouldn't have said that had I known he was behind me. Seeing his six claws coming out through the front of my torso doesn't alarm me nearly as much as it does Nev.

"I was gonna be nice and let ya know what was goin' on. Cheap shot for a cheap shot. We good, or am I not being clear enough?" he sneers, very close to my ear.

"Logan-"

"Please," I say quietly, cutting Nev off. "Not in front of her." Combined with the fact that I'm not fighting back, my plea is met. He pulls his claws out, looking at me real weird. "I'm ok ,' I address Nev. "Go find Maria, get to work. If you see Parker tell him to stand still so I can find him later." She doesn't move right away.

"You'll get 'im back in one piece," Logan growls. Nev looks at him with distrust but takes the elevator without a word to either of us. He snorts at me, shaking his head. "They weren't kiddin'," he says.

"Who what?" I ask, hoping he's not going to say-

"Hawkeye and Widow said you an' Guinevere were gettin' a little cozy." Ugh. Yep. That.

"They told me they wouldn't open their mouths. I knew they would," I sigh. "Gonna spread it now and destroy my attempt to get into some kind of standing here?" I ask hotly. He shrugs.

_Be nice and maybe he'll keep his mouth shut._

"I'll sew his damn lips together," I say. Logan chuckles.

"She puts up with that?" he asks. "What'd you do, pay 'er to be nice?"

"If you're just walking me around to be a dick to me, I have a certain building climber to find," I snap, starting to turn to walk away. He rests the side of his claws to my upper arm.

"Hold on, bub. Against my better judgment, I'm gonna tell ya what's going on in case I… need you as cannon fodder later on," he says, his tone changing. I look at his claws, then at him.

"If I don't see those again, deal," I answer slowly. He sheathes them and we turn the corner, ending up at the elevator again. We'd walked the loop of the reception area.

_This place really needs a little shop._

"Only if they sold those gummy Life Savers," I say, forgetting Wolverine for a second.

"Focus, Wilson," he says, stepping into the lift. He pushes the roof button, and the elevator launches up. It's really smooth, which is notable only because elevators make me kinda nervous. When we step out onto the roof, he walks to the edge and looks out in the direction of the mutant frat house.

"Why are we up here?" I ask.

"It's no one's business what we discuss," he answers moodily. "There was an accident over there. Somethin' to do with testing or some shit, in the underground levels. It's workin' its way up. I came here to get SHIELD on alert in case we need back up."

"Why are you telling me?" I question further. He looks over his shoulder at me.

_He looks like he doesn't hate you. He doesn't even look disgusted. Yay, progress!_

"Heard you been doin' good out there in the field," he says slowly. I haven't moved from my post a few feet off from the elevator, and from here I just stare at him. He turns back towards his mansion. "If shit gets hairy we might need you."

"Heh. You said hairy. You," I chuckle. He sighs at me.

"I'll give ya that. Bad wording on my part," Logan concedes.

"Or genius," I shrug. He grunts, still looking out over the city.

"So it's true?"

"How much did they tell you and who else did they tell?" I ask guardedly.

"They just said you an' 'er were lovin' up to each other the whole ride back. They only told me 'cause I guess they want me to be nice," he says, spitting the 'nice' like it's coated in venom.

"It didn't work, I see," I prod.

"Don't provoke me."

"I didn't know you were there."

"So you admit you'da said it behind my back. Not much better, bub." He turns and starts walking towards me, backing me into the wall. "Were they lyin'?"

"No," I say after several long moments. He narrows his eyes at me. "I haven't touched her otherwise. So if you want to go run off to Fury and tell him-"

"I don't have a reason. Yet. Don't give me one." He steps back and pushes the elevator button. "Good thing, though. We might need Guinevere too. The floors all have security locks and the test rooms have additional security layers to prevent the subjects from breaking out. I dunno what's goin' on down there. You know everything I do."

"She already did that 'unlock a layer at a time' thing," I say.

_So she's experienced, so she's a great choice. You're a lousy arguer._

"Difference is, she's gonna stay in the control room. She's not wanderin' the place," he says as we get back in the elevator. He pushes ground floor, I push 27 to check in on Nev. I haven't heard from her or Parker yet. "'Ey Wilson." I look at Logan sideways, feeling a little untrusting again. "You love her?" I stare at my reflection in the metal doors before me. I won't answer until they open, just to use it as a conversation ender.

_Hurry. HURRY._

It finally stops and the doors open.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

* * *

"Hey, there you are. I tried to call," Peter says hurrying over. "What's up?" He's looking at the awesome redesign Logan left in the torso of my suit.

"You know what this yellow alert shit is about?" I ask. He shakes his head. "Logan skewered me then took me to the roof to tell me I'm helping him maybe."

"That's unusual," he says. "The talking to you part, not the violence."

"I know."

"So what's going on? You know more about it than you've told me."

"Some experiment went stupid, Logan doesn't know more than that. Just said he might need my help and maybe Nev's too." I look down the hall, towards the security training room.

"C'mon, you don't wanna go in there right now," he says, trying to muscle me back to the lift.

"Huh? Why?"

"That puzzle box from yesterday? She's still working on it. Blood will be shed if she's interrupted." He's still pushing me away. I just let him, walking backwards with him.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know. I'm off. Lunch? Walk around the mall in costume and get mocked for imitating ourselves?" he offers.

"Last time we did that I broke a guy's leg and I bet they never did find that other guy's hand," I remind him.

"Can't take you anywhere," Peter grumbles, hitting the ground level button. "Anyway, I told her to call you or text you when she's done. That was shortly before she threatened to violate the screen with a crowbar wrapped in barbed wire."

"Fun. I'd watch if she actually did that. Hey, did I tell you I have her old phone lodged in my wall? She got mad and threw it. That was the first morning she was there, so I was a little surprised. Anyway where I'm going with this is I bet she'd powder a computer screen if she had a crowbar," I say, actually wondering if I can make her do that.

"Yeah… Ok, let's change the subject. Logan talked to me, too. He asked what I knew about you and Guinevere," Peter says. He exits the elevator but I don't. "C'mon, you can ask me about it easier when we're within ear shot of each other." I follow him, silently noting to kill both Natasha and Clint.

"Natasha and Clint found out." I don't say any more, but Peter gets the idea.

"You shouldn't have said anything," he says. I glare at him.

"I didn't. Do you know what happened last night? I turned a guy into tartare because he was stupid enough to threaten Nev. He yanked the stitches out of some old memories when he started hollerin' about his stupid dead wife, that didn't help. And once we were on the jet again, she wanted to sleep on me. Christ, what was I supposed to do, tell her to get off me?" I practically yell. Peter takes a step away from me.

"Chill. Sorry. I wasn't there, I don't know what happened," he says gently.

"Whose fault is that?!" I ask, getting in his face. He shoves me back.

"Did he ask you about it?" Peter asks, trying to keep me on track. I take a breath.

"Yeah, he did. He asked me if I love her." I wasn't paying attention til now, but it looks like he made the decision to risk taking me into the mall again. It's a big oval, like a running track, you can just walk the whole thing a few times and get your exercise for the day in. It's also dimly lit, which for a recluse like me, is appreciated. More appreciated is the food court in the center.

"Do you love her?" he asks as we stop at a corner, waiting on the light. I look at him. I don't have a way to exit after this one.

_Why does anyone care anyway?_

"Yeah," I say finally. "S'why I didn't answer my phone. We were busy."

"Nev answered hers, couldn't have been too busy," he says. "Fury and I called at the same time. Looking back, we must have looked pretty goofy. I could hear Guinevere, and I knew she was lying."

"I told her about Nessa too," I say flatly. I see him turn to me, the mask covering his expression. "I couldn't cry. The tears were there, they just wouldn't fall. I think it was Nev. Look what she's doing to me, I've known her a week and she's fixing me."

* * *

**Hey, I said no sex scenes. I never said no interrupted foreplay.**


	13. Destruction Makes The World Burn Brighter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade is called to take care of the problem spilling from the X House.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a song by Chelsea Wolfe. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

"On the other hand, I mean… There was less blood than last time, so that's good," I point out. Peter shakes his head.

"I think your idea of entertainment differs greatly from most people," he says. "Don't tell Guinevere you hacked that hand off and reattached it. She might not want it near her which, noting your current position with her, might be an issue." I shrug.

"But she didn't seem upset when she saw my face, that's worse than cutting my hand off I think. That's only the third time someone's seen me and not lost their mind, and frankly I didn't really want it to happen. I mean, I did at the time, but when we first met I didn't wanna get any closer to her than I had to. And she told me she didn't think it'd work out in any way," I ramble to him. He nods, just letting me talk. It's not the same as Nev. She listens, Parker just hears me.

"I'll just stay with you in case she's still working on that puzzle box code," he offers. "If she's still angry at it, I'll help you escape."

"I don't need help. You see how tiny she is? I got like a whole foot and 100 pounds on her. I'll be ok," I say confidently.

_Or you could end up like her phone, lodged in a wall._

"I'd make a lovely wall decoration though," I point out.

"If she's alright, I'll just let you two be. Not really interested in what you do in your spare time. Not with a girl, anyway," Peter says.

"Mostly eat, sleep, and come here because no one will leave us alone. I know, NC-17 content!" I answer, words laced with sarcasm. He chuckles as we walk off the elevator and down the hall. I peek into the room through one of the windows. The blinds aren't fully closed so I can see in a little. She and Maria are still at a computer, Nev's leaning back with an arm draped over the back of the chair and they're both laughing at something.

"'K, don't be surprised if Logan calls you tonight," Peter says, starting to walk off.

"Wait, why?" I ask. "It's a yellow alert and he used the words "maybe" and "might", nothing absolute." Peter turns to me and walks backwards towards the lift.

"But haven't you noticed that it's after hours and the yellow alert message is still playing? They'd cut it off if it was over," he points out. He backs into the lift and gives me a little wave as the door closes. Before I can turn and head into the room to retrieve Nev, I'm assaulted from behind. The good kind of assault, not the one that fractures my skull.

_I've just about had it with getting cracked over the head. Don't answer me, talk to her._

"I'm really glad you didn't hit me over the head," I tell her. She laughs quietly.

"And I'm glad to see you. Mostly because I'm sure this means it's time to leave, and I don't want to be here any longer than we need to be," she says, sounding just a little sour as she lets go of me.

"Cool, because this isn't really my favourite place," I admit. "To the point where any place that isn't here is my favourite."

"Harsh," Nev says as we wander towards the elevator. "This place isn't awful. I wasn't thrilled with Maria for the better part of the morning. She sets the tests up. I don't have to like what tests she gives me… and I don't." I put my arm around her as we step off the lift and make for the door.

"I just don't like Maria at all. She yells at me a lot. Or did. I try to stay away from her," I tell Nev. She nods.

"She expressed to me that she has many memories with you and few of them fond. So that's interesting. Do I want to know?" she questions.

"You do not. As an aside, Clint and Natasha blabbed to Logan," I say, looking at her to see if she's as nonchalant as she was last night. And she is.

"Good for Logan. Maybe he'll be nice to you now," she says with a shrug.

"Aren't you even a little concerned it may get back to…" I can't even finish the thought. Nev snorts.

"I'm not worried, he's actually pretty out of the loop, even about things that are directly relevant to him," she says, going for the heat as soon as I've started the car. It's particularly cold tonight, it's supposed to snow. Nothing that'll stick, just enough to freeze the roads and be annoying. Fortunately the drive back to my place is short, so frozen roads aren't a big issue. Having learned from a few nights ago, I push the front door open and let her in first. I close the house up, we aren't going back out in this cold, and join her on the sofa. She moves from the far end to my side as I pull the mask off.

"I'll guess you didn't talk to Logan today," I bait her as she gets comfortable leaning into me.

"No. Should I have?"

"Maybe. He told me what he knew about the alert. All he knows is some tests in the underground areas of the X Men frat house went wrong. Worst case, rampaging mutants. But since it was still saying yellow when we left, who knows." I drape my arm around her. "Anyway, if that's what's going on, he's gonna need us both. He said he wanted me as cannon fodder and you to open and close doors, presumably so he can scout around and play the hero," I explain. She just tries to hide a yawn.

"I'd actually be surprised if he really needs our help," she says. "Especially him, I mean. He'd rather chew his claws off than admit he needs your help. His pride borders that of Tony's."

"I don't wanna go anyway. I have some divided feelings about that place," I confide. She doesn't answer, just rests her head to my shoulder. I hold her a bit tighter and rest my head to hers, grateful that I won't be spending this cold night by myself.

* * *

"Alert status has been raised to yellow for the following areas: X MANSION. Please stand by for further updates."

I really didn't want to be called out tonight. Nev's following very close to me as we walk up to Fury, standing at the closed doors. We can still hear the message coming from the intercom. Poor Nev can barely hold her head up or keep her eyes open. I told her she didn't have to come. I was actually trying very hard not to wake her, but failed horribly. By horribly, I mean the bathroom door fell off the hinges when I opened it and it was not quiet in hitting the ground.

_If you'd stop slamming it around when you get angry, maybe it wouldn't have come apart._

Fury's expression changes when he sees Nev.

"Guinevere, are you sure you want to go with him?" he asks, almost nervously. She nods but seems too tired to say anything. It's deceptive, really, her being so tired. She's still looking around, as she does, and I know she's aware of everything in our immediate surroundings. Fury just frowns at us. "Very well. There's somethin' goin' on at the Mansion, but they won't call us in for back up yet. I got a pretty good idea what's goin' on there, seein' as there's an escaped mutant runnin' around. So-"

"So you called him at two in the morning, while it's cold as balls, to catch a mutant without any back up?" Nev asks.

_Fury's fury incoming in 3, 2, 1…_

"He wouldn't yell at her," I mumble. But I'm tensed up anyway. He sighs.

"He wasn't my first call. No one else answered, which they're all gonna hear about tomorrow, so I called as a last resort. That, or this mutant trashes the city. Take your pick," he says, sounding apologetic. Nev looks out at the city. We're actually stationed on the very edge, not even close to the middle of downtown. "S'been little things for now. But take it out before it does anything worse." Fury looks at us both.

_He knows something is going on. He's not stupid._

"Anything else?" I ask, half trying to get him to ask about us. He shakes his head.

"Keep my girl safe," he says, turning and going for his car. He starts it and pulls away before we start for our own vehicle. I park it on a hill that overlooks downtown.

"What are you looking for? You won't be able to see it from this far out," Nev says, sitting on the hood of the vehicle. We both see it, a section of the city, small, 3 or 4 square blocks where the power flickers. "Ah. Not very discreet, this one."

"Stay here. I don't know how dangerous this fella is, and without back up… I mean, if I got distracted when I should be watching you… Just, stay here. If I'm not back in half an hour or so, call Parker," I tell her. I dart off without so much as a hug, watching where the lights are having issues staying on.

_You'll make up for it when you come back, use that as motivation to not get maimed._

I use a fire escape to get to the roof of a building, and from there just hop from roof to roof, keeping my eyes down to try to spot the mutant. I don't have anything against my fellow mutants. Not until they start trashing my city and get me woken up at ungodly hours when I've been snuggled happily in bed with my lady. There. Throwing a dumpster at the cop cars – they're out of the way, at least. I leap from the roof, unsheathing my blades and landing with them digging into the mutant's shoulders.

"Hey bro. Let's not drag this out eh? Rogue mutants are a no no, and I was forced out of my warm bed to kick your ass. Go down quiet, pretty please?" I taunt him. He has a… very interesting lower jaw. Sorta like the things in Predator, just on a really beefed up human that's not too thrilled at me slicing his shoulder tendons. He doesn't have hands. He has what looks like scorpion claws instead. And he's swinging them at me, clacking them.

"They think they can control us! They think they gave us PURPOSE!" he screams.

"You sound like you took helium while suffering strep throat. That's kinda funny. But I'm gonna kill ya anyway," I say, bouncing around to dodge the stupid claws. I've actually got him in a perfect place, I can bounce off the sides of the close-clustered buildings and take shots at him at the same time. Never get close enough to get hit.

_This is easy. And you're getting paid for it!_

"Just cold out, and I feel bad for Nev."

_Maybe next Olympics you could try out for the 'killing a dangerous foe while doing gymnastics' class._

"That doesn't exist yet, but I bet it's gonna after they see me!"

"You must be a mutant too, your gift being that you never stop talking! Why are you on their side? They have nothing to offer! They are inferior!" He's still swinging his claws. I'm not sure if my bullets are hitting him or not, only because he isn't slowing down. I switch back to my blades.

"Not inferior. I've met some pretty stupid mutants. Hell, I fought one tonight! Killed him though. Or, I'm about to," I say, slicing the bottom piece of the claw joints off of him. He shrieks in agony, a sound I never get tired of.

_Take the rest off, just in case._

"Don't worry, already calculating," I reassure my brain, and swing both blades around to take off the entirety of the claws. I move in closer while the guy's distracted and slice his body in half. When the top half pitches forward, I move to skewer his head, just in case. As I slide both blades in perpendicular to each other, that ugly weird jaw of his shoots out and goes through my abdomen. I stand there frozen, part from the shock and mostly from the pain. We look like a grotesque statue, impaling each other like this. I have no idea how long we stay like that before the jaw retracts out of me. I shakily sheathe my blades as I stumble backwards.

_Why aren't you regenerating faster? And what's that green goo mixing with your blood? And coming out of his mouth? It's probably not good._


	14. This Love Is Whispering, As Distant Sirens Ring, Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury finds out.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is from Ambulances by Ladytron. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

"Really? Why didn't the idiot just do this in the first place? Hinder my healing and crush my ribs. Where do they get these idiots…" I manage to scurry away from the scene, holding my open frontside with both arms.

_You're losing a pretty hefty amount of blood._

"I hafta get back there. And I'm not lost so that's a plus." I always start from that hill, just so I can remember which way to go to get back. And Nev must have been watching for me. Before I can start trying to drag myself up the hill, she's there. The moonlight's hitting her and she looks like she's glowing. Are her wings new or have they always been there?

_You're hallucinating. You're also bleeding all over her._

I actually hadn't even noticed her come to my side to support me, but now that I'm aware of it I'm comforted by her touch.

"I'm getting my gut blood all over you," I say shakily. When I look down at the wound, I can see the moonlight reflecting in my blood on her hand. She's trying what I was trying, hold the hole closed. The sight makes me a little queasy.

"It's ok," she says as we reach the car. Nev sits me down in the grass, leaning against one of the wheels. She stays where she is, under my arm, at my side, watching me. "You're healing a little slow there, Wade. Wanna speed that up? I mean, you're just bleeding out, no rush."

"He did this with his jaw. As he died. Like, why didn't he just open with this move? I dunno if you can see it but the green shit's slowing my healing by a lot," I say, catching the breathless sound to my voice. "Funny enough, it's getting carried out with all my blood, so bleeding out is actually helping speed up the healing."

"Kinda ew," Nev says. When I bring my eyes to her face, she's smiling faintly. "But you'll be ok." It's a statement, but her tone… I know she wants me to assure her of this. I drop my head forward as I feel the blood stopping. Not as much as i want, but it's a start.

"Yeah. I will. It's healin' up now," I tell her, and I feel her pull her hand away from where I was gored. Her hand that's still stained with my blood.

"Are you ok to drive? We don't have a lot of choice, and we need to get you home," she says, her voice strained with worry. I nod slowly.

"I can do that much, it's not that far away," I say.

_Are you reassuring her or yourself?_

"That confidence was for both of us," I answer, opening the car door and slipping in. I'm still sore, still bleeding, even if I'm not a geyser of blood anymore. I know Nev's looking at me, worried, but I can't do anything til we get home. The front door proves a challenge, I'm so out of it from being tired and pushing my healing factor to regenerate the blood I lost that I can barely get the door unlocked. Nev takes the keys from my hand and does it herself. I'm down the hall and in my room before she's locked the door back up. Mask off, boots off, weaponry off… I'm not going to bother changing. I'm too tired, I don't even really care about the hole in the middle of the suit. I just get into bed, hear her washing her hands, feel her slip into bed beside me shortly after.

"Sorry I got you all bloody."

_And you still really aren't fully healed. This feels awful. How do people cope?_

"It's ok. I'd rather need a shower and have you ok than the alternative," Nev says tenderly, slipping her arms around me from behind. "I know you can't die. But when you love someone, worry comes with it."

_Did she just say love? Didn't you only decide that today?_

"When you what?" I ask, kind of just hoping to hear her say it again. She pulls away, and I turn over to look at her. She looks like she's trying to figure out if she should be regretting that choice of words. I'm getting my strength back now, not as quick as I wanted to, and I hold her close to me again and kiss her.

"Mein liebe," I mumble against her lips. I feel her smile. When we break for air, I keep my face near hers, our lips still almost touching. "Fun fact; I heal faster when I feel like I have someone to heal for." Her startlingly green eyes meet mine, we're still embracing each other.

"And I hope I never give you reason to doubt that you certainly have someone now."

* * *

"Well, maybe I'd be less feely if someone hadn't insisted we come in first thing in the morning," I mumble against Nev's lips as we kiss and stumble our way down the empty hallway of the mostly empty SHIELD building. She giggles, tightens her grip on my shoulders as I hold her close enough to keep our mouths together.

"It was your idea," she says pointedly.

"You know I'm full of lousy ideas," I breathe to her, pausing to hold her against the wall. I pull her lower lip into my mouth and bite, coaxing a whimper from her.

"You mean like the one you're actin' on right now?" The voice makes both of us jump away from each other. I hurriedly pull my mask back down.

"I thought you said he came in later than this," I whisper to Nev.

"Well, he usually does. This isn't normal," she whispers back. Fury looks every bit of his name and points to his office just a few doors down from where we've been caught. We follow him slowly, and as he drops heavily into his chair at his desk, he motions for us to sit. He sighs and leans back, finally looking at us.

"Wade, do you remember what you asked me before I introduced you? Do you remember what my answer was?" he asks. I look at the floor. "God Damnit. This was supposed to be a mentorship to getcha into workin', not some real life eHarmony." Nev snickers, I bite back my own laugh. Fury stands and paces the room. "I actually picked you, Wilson, 'cause I figured ain't no way anything like this would happen."

"If you were so worried about that you probably shoulda shipped her off with Natasha or Maria or that one girl at the reception desk that hates me," I tell him. He looks at me and it's clear he's doing what he can to not walk over and strangle me.

"I hate other girls."  
"She hates other women."

"And that's why I don't try to understand women. Women understand each other, and they hate each other," I say. Nev hits me but she's smiling. "What? Honesty is a good thing!" Fury's still pacing and didn't find my statement funny.

"Just that I dunno if I'm comfortable with this arrangement anymore. You weren't exactly doing a good job of keeping it hidden last night anyway. So, I dunno why I'm surprised." Fury sighs. "Can't believe I let Peter talk me into trusting you. This is over. Wade, outta my sight. Guinevere, you're staying here." Neither of us move. "NOW." I don't move.

"Are you afraid I'm going to get her hurt? Are you afraid she'll end up like..." Fury looks away from me. "No? Then what's your problem?"

"He's done nothing but take care of me, you've actually seen evidence of that more than once. And look at him, you can't just disregard-" He cuts her off and I see her eyes tearing up.

"And how long is that gonna last? You seen it yourself, he's a few cards short of a deck, how many more times til he gets distracted or has some kind of issue and it doesn't go right?" he almost yells.

"And why would I let that happen? I'm not stupid. I wouldn't let that happen again," I say slowly. I'm a mix of hurt and angry, and I'm trying for Nev's sake not to jump on Fury. Make his eyes match.

_Do that and you'll really blow it._

"I don't want to blow this one," I say out loud.

"Little too late for that. I didn't hire you to try to-" I cut him off by losing it and jumping at him. I should know better. He's been training with Steve and one good hook sends me backwards. I end up on my ass, in Nev's hands as she kneels at my side. I can feel my jaw healing itself. And fortunately, Fury's back is to us.

"I'm just gonna go. He's not gonna change his mind." She cradles my head against hers.

"We'll figure something out," she says quietly. With a gentle forehead kiss, she pulls me to my feet and I walk past her to the door. I hesitate, take a breath... and leave. I cringe at the sound of the door closing behind me. I was going to fill out the paperwork for last night's altercation. Not now. I quit. But… I can hear Nev practically shouting as I start to walk away. I stop, standing in the middle of the hall like an idiot, listening.

"You're completely disregarding that he's been so much better since I started staying with him! He's actually almost getting along with people," she says, sounding angry.

"I'm not going to have you dating any of these guys, especially him," Fury shoots back.

"Why is that an issue?! You wanted me to make him more willing to work with others, and I did it! I don't think the how matters. You're not with him as much as I am, or at all, really, for that matter…"

_She should really save her breath. She won't change his mind._

"Nope. Fury's word is final. Might as well have both his eyes patched over since he can't see the reason in her words," I say quietly. "Back to just a merc for hire."

* * *

"Hold it, bub. Where ya goin'?" Logan rasps. He holds his arm out to stop me.

"If you want your arm to stay attached to you, get it the fuck out of my way," I snarl at him, a little surprised at my boldness.

_Your heart is broken. Again. You should never have let it get that far._

"But I did. And now she's suffering for it as much as I am," I pout. Logan has heeded my warning and stepped away, and is staring at me quizzically as I answer myself out loud.

_Tell him to mind his business. He's never cared about you before and now you don't really need his born-again feels._

"Fury found out, eh?" he asks, not unkindly.

"Yeah, notice I'm leaving alone. Oh, and I quit, by the way. Were you gonna talk to me about saving your mutant frat house? Save it yourself. You can have Nev though, I guess, I'm not around to protect her from bad ideas or anything anymore," I snap at him. I slam the keys for the car down on the reception desk. "Don't act like you don't have time for me. You're looking at your FaceBook. Make sure these get back to whoever deals with the company cars." She looks shocked but I don't care. I walk out the doors.

It's cold outside. Even through my mask, my breath materializes in front of me. I glance back at the building.

_For sure they're going to keep paying your electric bill. They owe you. Majorly owe you._

"They can fuck themselves. Between them and Xavier's little ragtag crew of nobodies, I've lost everything," I say. My eyes are stinging again. I squeeze them shut as I start walking. I swore I wouldn't cry anymore after talking about Vanessa didn't being any tears.

The walk home calms me down a little. I go inside, leave my boots, belt and weaponry at the door. No reason to keep the place picked up anymore. I drop onto the sofa and turn on the television. It's just noise. I don't even know what's on. Actually, I'm so spaced out that when my phone rings, it takes me a minute to realize it's not part of the din.

"What."

"Wade? What happened? Guinevere's training with Maria… Well, she's supposed to be, she looks like she's been crying. What'd you say-"

"ME? You think I did something that would jeopardize my relationship with her? Are you fucking stupid, or have you been listening to Fury again?" I shout at him.

"Whoa, whoa. I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. Sorry," Peter says hurriedly. "What happened?" My eyes go to Nev's phone still stuck in my wall. I rise and walk over to it, touching it with my free hand.

"Fury found out. Cancelled our little mentorship thing."

_Leave it there? Throw it away? Sleep with it like a creeper?_

"It's too small to sleep with. And I like to think I'm not a creeper," I say, forgetting about Peter.

"Come back to me, Wade. Is that it? Fury's word and you're just gonna lay down and take it?" he asks. "Not very Deadpool."

"I'm tired, Peter. Everything I have, I just lose it. I'm not gonna fight this one, I'm not gonna drag it out. It'll just hurt worse," I say sounding more defeated than I remember being in a long time. "I'm gonna sleep for a few days. Don't call me." I hang up on him and take the battery out of my phone, setting it on the kitchen table.

I wasn't kidding about the sleeping part. Seeing her bag of clothes still there by the closet door tugs at my feels. I don't bother getting out of the suit. Again. I just crawl into bed and bring the blanket over my head.

_Hiding? We're going to run away and hide now?_

"That's all the mask is for. Hiding. It's a completely legit way to deal with this shit."

_No, it actually isn't. We tried that before and failed miserably. Ended up back at SHIELD just for some human interaction._

"I'm not going back there. They can forget it. I don't care about their God damned X Men house either. I'll roast weenies in the fire as it burns."

_No you won't. If the check is big enough, you'll help._

"Not this time."

_So that's it? You're gonna sit in here and pout?_

"I'm accepting what's happened and celebrating by sleeping." The voice goes away at the finality in my words. A few cars speeding past the house break the silence, but outside of that, in the darkness under the blanket, I could just as well be in some kind of purgatory. After all I've done for them, the two missions with Cable, saving their stupid bottles, saving Nev – remembering that incident makes my throat close. I squeeze my eyes shut as I pull the pillow over my head, like it can drown out my thoughts.

I'm not overly thrilled to be in bed by myself again after a taste of being with someone. I do manage to drift off to sleep, and there I hide from my horrible reality.


	15. I Crumble Completely When You Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade is reminded that he doesn't need to put up with this!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a line in the Arctic Monkeys song 505. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

_What time is it? Fuck. What day is it?_

I've been sleeping since I got home. I don't want to deal with life. But someone's knocking, it's woken me up. Loud and frantic. I drag myself down the hall, and stand with my back pressed to the door.

"I'm not sure this is the house you're looking for. Certainly aren't any droids here," I say, irritated.

"No, this is definitely the right house. Couldn't care less about the droids, though." I fling the door open, sweep Nev inside, and kick the door closed as I cover her mouth with mine. She's clinging to me, tightly as I am to her.

_What is she doing here? How'd she get here?_

"I don't care about that. I didn't think I'd see you again, honestly," I mumble against her lips, not wanting to let go. She tilts her head down to free her mouth, her smile shining. I can feel her breath on my lips and it's strangely erotic.

"You need to have more faith in me, Wade," Nev breathes. "Said I was gonna stay late at SHIELD, Maria's covering for me. I don't have a lot of time, she's taking me home." She moves a hand to my face. "That's sort of where my plan ends, though." I close my eyes, trying to soak all the comfort out of this that I can.

"M'sorry, mein liebe. I guess everyone was right, I sort of just manage to ruin everything," I say, disgusted with my own voice. She just strokes my cheek with her thumb and gives me a soft kiss. I open my eyes to meet hers. She looks so sad. It kills me.

"I'm not sure this is something you need to be sorry about. The one who owes an apology isn't here right now," Nev says, sounding bitter. She pulls her hand from my face to hug me again. I hold her, our bodies pressed together and my heart breaking. "I don't know when I can come back. Three or four days, probably." The room is silent except for the clock ticking. "I'll manage to slap something together. We'll get this fixed." Nev pulls away. My voice isn't talking now, just screaming. It's hurting my head. "Promise." She looks at the floor. "I love you."

It was so faint I'm almost questioning if I even heard that. I take her face in my hands and kiss her. Lips and tongue and teeth and I can feel her tears on my fingers. I didn't want her to cry. She's so much prettier when she smiles.

_Say it back, you idiot. When will you get the chance to again? You don't want her to think you don't. You can't lose this._

I fold the words into the kiss, which does little more than cause her more tears. One last tight, lengthy embrace and she hurries out the door not looking at me. I stand there for a moment staring at the closed door. Why does it always happen like this? I grab the standing lamp from the corner, sweep it around the room breaking basically everything, then return to hiding in my room.

_Feel better?_

"No."

_Just wait til you have to clean it up. That won't help either._

* * *

Why won't these people just leave me alone?

"Maybe it's her again."

There's a knock at the door. I hop up out of bed, trying to remain hopeful. I don't say anything, just crack the door, peeking out to see who it is. Just Peter. I don't say anything, and shut the door again.

"Damn it, Wade. Don't you even wanna know why I'm here?" he asks.

"'Cause you want to play guidance counselor even though I don't need it?" I ask. I hear him kick the door.

"You thick headed… No one's seen you in almost four days, your phone is going to voice mail, and there is at least one person who's sick with worry over you," he says, sounding frustrated.

"Well I'm flattered that Logan misses me, but I'm pretty sure he knows where I live and can come here himself," I huff, leaning against the wall.

"Not him, you idiot. Did you forget about Nev already?" He knocks again. "Open up, Wade. We need to talk. You've done this mope around and feel sorry for yourself shit before, and you're not going to do it again."

"It's not locked," I point out. He pushes the door open and steers me to the sofa, pushing me down, standing in front of me to keep preaching.

"What the hell happened in here?" he askes, sounding a little shocked.

"I was angry. And hurt. And feeling a little betrayed," I answer. The room is a lot worse than I remember it being.

"Have you left the house since Tuesday? Are you aware it's now Friday?" he continues, arms crossed. I shake my head. "That's it? Fury wins? You're just gonna stop living now?" I jump up and pin him to the wall by his throat.

"Trust me, if I could die, I would. I've endured more pain in more ways than I'd wish on someone I hated, I've watched people I love die or watched them walk away from me, and for all the shit I put up with, everything I go through, not even the fucking front desk hostess at SHIELD will give me the time of day. I'm willing to wager that when Nev sneaked by to see me that night, she was saying goodbye." Without his mask I can see how scared I've made him. I let go of his throat and he drops two feet to the floor. I turn away from him.

"She did that?" he asks quietly. I feel my shoulders fall from the sudden pang of sad.

"Yeah. That night, she came by, I guess Maria was covering her tracks. She wasn't here long. Just to see me again. I haven't seen her since and I don't remember where I put my phone. I remember I took the battery out so you can't call it to locate it. Anyway the fact that she came back to me was enough, but... Peter, she told me she loves me." I wait for an answer that doesn't come. Then finally,

"Did it ever occur to you to go back and try talking to Fury?" he asks quietly.

"He threatened to kick me out," I mumble, feeling deflated again.

"When has something like that ever stopped you?" We stand in silence for several moments. "You were so happy. You were better. We're all actually trying to make him over turn his decision. Some of us for selfish reasons, but does it matter why?" I still don't answer, and I hear him sigh. "She hasn't been herself either, y'know. I'm trying to cheer her up, for you as much as for her." I turn my head towards him a little but don't look at him. "Just gonna stand there and not talk? That's new."

"What do you want me to say?" I pout.

"I dunno Wade, thanks maybe? We're doing this for you as much as her, you've actually - Why am I even bothering? You don't listen to anyone, why would you start now?" I hear him walking towards the door. "Don't show up angry, but she's sorta been waiting for you. We're all sticking up for you to get you back in, back with her, whatever needs to happen to fix this. Don't let us down. More importantly, don't let her down." He closes the door gently as he leaves. I just keep an unfocused stare out the window.

"Now what?" I muse out loud.

_Go get her back. And get a clean suit on, while you're at it._

* * *

I just stand in the shower, water hitting my back, eyes unfocused on the wall in front of me. I'm been alone for a long time. Since Vanessa, anyway. Not that I've had interest in anyone. No one's shown interest in me, either.

_This is typical of you anyway. Chase what you can't have. Remember Death? Ha. Wait til you have to tell her about this!_

"What's she gonna do? Kill me?" I ask smartly.

_No, but I don't imagine you'll get a warm reaction. Probably as cold as this water's gotten, actually._

"Yeah, I know it's gone cold. But I don't know what I'm going to do." The voice is silent. No use standing here being cold. I shut the water off and slink to my room. Before pulling on a suit, I stop and stare at the covered mirror. After several moments of hesitation, I uncover it. I don't see anything worth fighting for staring back at me.

_Hey, it's enough for her. Isn't that what counts?_

"Maybe she's as crazy as I am."

_Well... isn't that good?_

I just pull the suit on, and start strapping up. Blades, guns, a handful of grenades-

_Hardy har har._

-And pull the mask on last. I double check that I have everything before I step out the door. Part of me is amused that I'm going out to be the very type of person I take delight in killing. That's all I am. All I've ever been. All I will be. I don't know what Nev sees that's worth loving.

_What are you going to do? Slice your way through SHIELD HQ and steal her back? Peter made it sound like you could just bounce in and have a nice friendly chat with Fury._

"Maybe I will go in armed. If I have to, I mean. She's mine, and I'm taking her back." I step out of my house and squint at the stupidly bright sun. I wonder if I could pull off sunglasses with this suit. Of course I can, I'm me. I lock the door, store the note of sunglasses for a later use, and walk towards SHIELD. I don't have a plan, and I am actually a little scared. I've lost too much in my life. She isn't going to be on that list.

_What makes you think you even deserve her now?_

"Nothing's free. Unless you steal it. But I think I've payed more than enough for her, for my own happiness. I'm gonna go get what's mine."

I try to think ahead a little bit, which way I should take to get in, where to go after that. I know where the security guards are stationed. I know what paths to take to avoid them. I've had a lot of practice. They'll likely be waiting for me. And they're not going to stop me.

_Or maybe all your offensive violence will make it that much less likely you'll see her again._

"Shut up. I'm doing this my way." I pull my blades out and step around the corner onto the paved path that leads right to the doors. I hold my arms out, a blade in each hand, head lowered mostly from how damn bright it is. I have no idea what's going to happen, but I am very ready. I swing the blades around in a pattern, still held out at my sides.

_The good news is you can't die if they try to defend the place. Not much can stop you now._

But then I hear my name, in a voice I'm very fond of - "Wade!"

Nev? Ok, there's the one thing that'll stop me. She bursts through the doors and I put the blades away to catch her as she guns it for me. She hits me hard enough to knock me off balance, but I hug her tightly and stay on my feet and take a deep breath with my face in her hair as I feel her arms wrapping tightly around my middle. 'You goober, what were you about to do?" Her voice is muffled, her face buried in my chest.

"Something stupid probably," I admit. "But I wasn't gonna go another day without you, mein liebe," I tell her quietly. She pulls an arm from around me to lift my mask up, exposing the lower part of my face. With her hand holding my cheek she brings her mouth to mine and I feel my knees go weak. I tighten my hold on her, overwhelmed with how good it feels to be touching her again.

"Not tryin'a question miracles here, but the last time I saw you I was made very aware that Fury did not like what we were up to. I feel I may have missed something important," I say breathily as we break for air. I'm still holding her, and she nestles her head to my shoulder.

"You're going to be writing a lot of thank you letters," she says. "Between about 8 different people, we were able to convince dad that you've been so much better since we've been together. He finally relented this morning, and since your phone's off, we were actually just leaving to come find you." She pulls back to look at me. "Did you throw it or just pop the battery out?" she asks, smiling widely.

"Just popped the battery, so now I can't even call it to find where I put it!" I say cheerfully. She giggles, ducking her head a bit.

_She looks as happy as you feel. You almost forgot this feeling even existed._

"I'm glad the feeling's back though," I say, and instead of explaining myself I just press my lips to hers again. It's not until we've pulled apart enough to go inside that I see Fury at the doors. And I'm pretty sure he just watched all of that.

_Good. Let's see what he has to say now._


	16. We Know What We've Invited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to clean up the X House...

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a modified line in the AFI song End Transmission. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

Fury's sitting at his desk, facing us but looking down at his folded hands. Nev and I are sitting in side by side chairs like two school kids in a principal's office. The silence is heavy, and as much as I want it broken I don't have the balls to do it myself. I look at the floor, feeling very uncomfortable.

"I think I owe you both an apology."

_Don't answer that. Don't even think about all the things you could say._

"I may have over reacted." He leans back, raising his head, but I can't tell now if he's looking at us. "I've been reminded several times, Wilson, that you've been a little more… tolerable since you were assigned to this. And lately, I've found myself cursing you less," he continues slowly.

"Can I consider that a compliment? 'Cause I like to take those where I can," I reply. He sighs.

"Sure, now don't push it," he says, giving me that classic Deadpool-is-going-to-give-me-a-hernia look.

_There, you waved your wit around. Now shut up before you make him re-change his mind._

"A lotta people pleaded their case for you, Wilson. People that I wouldn'ta thought of if someone asked me "Hey, who d'you think would ever stick up for Deadpool?" Frankly I wasn't gonna listen to any of it. Two people that I do actually respect, though… They wouldn't leave me alone." He pauses for so long I do finally look up at him. "Go on, ask who they were." I don't say anything, resenting his tone. He smirks at me.

_Jump through the hoops. You can get revenge later. Do it for Nev._

"Who was it?" I ask with an irritated sigh. He chuckles.

"I'm sure you're guessing one is Parker. Wasn't him. Natasha was one, though. Maybe she doesn't surprise you so much. But I bet if I told you your other supporter was Tony Stark…" I tilt my head at him, and turn to Nev. She shrugs.

"I did my best to not spend a lot of time here. All I know is exactly what I told you – you had a lot of support. I didn't know any specifics," she says. She looks at Fury expectantly. He sighs.

"And now you're both ready to find out what I'm gonna rule as far as your mentoring situation." He says it like he's not sure what else to call it. He walks over to me, gets right in my face. "I don't wanna see my girl unhappy. You got that? That means that I'm gonna go ahead and let you and her go 'bout your business… and that if I see her unhappy and your name comes up even once, I'll hack you into enough pieces that your healing factor won't be able to save you."

"Little harsh," Nev says.

"Teeny bit," I agree. Fury narrows his eye at me and I suddenly feel very uncomfortable.

"Just so we're very, very clear about this. There IS no such thing as 'too harsh' when it comes to the consequences you'll suffer if you don't at least meet the rules I've set up. I'll let Bruce give you your first warning, but after that…" He chuckles. "Let me put it this way. You should go find Logan right now, he's been lookin' for ya. You're safer with him." He turns away from us. "I do expect you to keep callin' like you been, Guinevere."

"If I don't lodge this phone in a wall, you have my word," she says. I've never seen Fury be tender with anyone, but there's a first time for everything. And when she hugs him, briefly, his expression reminds me more of an actual human rather than the walking talking hard-ass that he comes off as. Nev takes my hand as we leave his office.

_Go find Logan. Reunion affection can wait til you've talked to Angryclaws._

"Any idea what Logan wants? The last thing I think I remember him saying-"

"Alert status has been raised to red for the following areas: X MANSION. Please refer to the guidelines set for this emergency." Nev tilts her head and suddenly looks worried.

"Shot in the dark, but probably that," she says. She gives my fingers a squeeze. "Honestly, that sort of scares me." I pull my hand from hers to put my arm around her.

"You know how when something's really goin' wrong and everyone feeds you that bullshit line about how everything's going to be just fine?" I ask her as we step to the window and look down. Mini chaos at the doors, people running around and flooding in, likely to meet up with Fury or Coulson or both. "Well, everything's gonna be ok."

* * *

When Logan sees me, I can't tell if his expressions is furious or relieved.

"You dipstick, where the hell have you…" He trails off. Nev has stepped to my side, fingers brushing mine but not actually linking. I turn to look at her for a moment, a fleeting wave of possessiveness hitting me. I look back at Logan, waiting for him to continue. His expression tells me everything, and I'm mildly amused. "I got a couple other people that're gonna go with us. We don't have time to wait for some goofy plan that fits guidelines. Let's go." He turns and starts walking, knowing full well we're just going to follow him.

"Are you sure you need both of us? Or either of us? Aren't you the super great best thing ever X Man that can solo this kind of stuff?" I ask him as we hurry along, unnoticed, out of the building and towards his vehicle.

_Now is a bad time to provoke him. Just humour him. Maybe it's not as bad as they're making it out to be._

"Not this." He pulls into traffic and we're still unnoticed which is really quite funny. "The lower levels got half-baked mutants crawlin' around. I'm still in the dark, I don't have a clue what happened. All I know is there's a lotta people dead 'cause of them. Heard you tussled with one a few nights ago."

"Yeah but he was stupid, didn't use his main power til he was already dead," I say, rubbing my eyes. I've slept half this week away, being awake feels lousy. It's compounded by having to work, and right now I really wish the healing factor worked on headaches. Logan doesn't take us to the frat house. He stops at the Stark building instead.

"I think you mixed up Stark Industries and the X Mansion," Nev says, confused as I am.

"Easy mistake. One is 50 stories tall, the other is a total of 5, with only three of those being above ground. Practically the same thing," I say, patting Logan's shoulder. He flicks my hand off him.

"We can't exactly meet there. We need some kinda direction before we attempt to take the building back," he says, getting out of the car. Nev and I follow several feet behind him. I'm a little uncomfortable seeing Tony. The last time I saw him he was mad that I saved him. Now I hear he's one of the biggest reasons I have my Nev back.

_You better think of something to say before he's done talking to Logan. Outta time, good luck!_

We stand there, staring at each other. I could slice the tension and serve it on toast. He glances over his shoulder, in Nev's direction as she flutters between everyone already here, being social.

"She got you back," Tony says awkwardly. "I helped, by the way. Just. Heads up." I nod.

"I heard. I sorta thought you were still stewing in your hatred for me," I say. He frowns.

"I don't hate you. I never did. True, I would have died before letting you save me, but I think I can say that of anyone trying to save me. Just happened to be you. It wasn't personal." He holds his hand out. "We need your help. No hard feelings?"

_It's a clever ruse! He doesn't forgive this fast!_

I shake his hand, still feeling a little uncomfortable. He ushers me inside, and I take a quick roll call of who's here. Storm, naturally, if Logan's here she will be too. Natasha, and Clint. They've gotta be a thing. Beast… furry Smurf. Even adding me and Tony this doesn't seem like a particularly strong team. I go over to where Nev is sitting and stand close to her, feeling a little anti-social.

_Just the side-affect from holing yourself up for four days. It'll wear off and you'll be talking people to death before we even get back to the Mansion._

Logan's taking charge. Not surprising, it's kinda his house and everything. He's spitting out orders, something I've never been good at listening to. Nev rests her head against me. This really wasn't how I wanted this day to go. I take comfort in the affection and respond in pulling her close to my side.

"…Maria, you need to stay with Nev in the security room. It does function as a kinda panic room but it'd be a lot safer if she had a trained agent with her. Thanks, by the way, I know you're really gonna get it when Fury finds out you skipped out on their 'protocols'. Gotta be honest though. I'm bettin' we'll be done before they get outta that building, and considering what we're up against that's a pretty big deal," Logan says. I look around, I didn't even see Maria. Yeah, there she is. Definitely gotta eavesdrop on her and Fury later on. "Anyone got any questions?"

"Yeah, I wasn't listening til that last part 'cause I didn't see Maria at first, so can you just repeat all of it?" I ask. Logan looks at me like he wants to kill me.

"You're going with him, so your part is easy," Beast says. "Don't concern yourself with the rest of us. We're splitting up to cover the two basement floors and the ground floor. They have yet to penetrate the second floor, thankfully. The only issue we face is getting Guinevere and Maria to the security room."

_Heh. Penetrate._

"Let's get moving. This is going to take several hours, maybe a couple of days depending on how bad it is. We don't need them killing anyone else," Storm says. "The building is under complete lockdown, so we shouldn't have any more of them getting loose. We'll go in through the back emergency door. Be ready for combat." She starts for the door, Logan following like a trained mutt on a leash. Nev and I are last out the door.

"We're going to hoof it there," Clint says. "That was decided on last night. We can't alert them that we're coming. Even the rail system is too risky." Pouty mumbling from half of the team. I knew they were going to do this, it wasn't unexpected and frankly, it's probably a really good idea. Safety smarts is one of the reasons they're good at these missions.

"You're being very quiet. Especially for you," Nev says as we trek on, several feet behind everyone else.

"I spent a lot of time thinking about things that make me want to rip out my lower jaw and ram it through my eye sockets," I tell her. "And when I wasn't doing that, I was sleeping. I'm kinda like Windows 95, takes me forever to get working after being switched off."

"What was your plan, walking up to the building with your blades out?" she presses.

_Little white lie won't hurt. The truth would likely scare her. We both know you'd have chickened out, though._

"I wasn't kidding about doing something stupid. I wasn't gonna kill everybody... Ok, I wasn't gonna kill anybody. I was just gonna make an ugly scene to force Fury out. Then talk at him til he gave up," I answer. She chuckles.

"By the time you showed up, if one more person stopped by to give him their opinion, he was going to flip his shit," she says. "I didn't really handle it any better than you. Peter shadowed me everywhere though. I should probably thank him." I sling my arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head through my mask, hoping that says more than any words I could drag up.

* * *

"Ok. Everyone, weapons ready. I have no idea what we're going to find in here. I hate to kill them, they're people-"

"Not anymore. I dunno what they are, an' I don't care. They killed some of our people, it's over for them," Logan cuts Natasha off. We can all see him hesitating. Stalling.

He enters the security code and the security doors start opening, a layer at a time. When the final door opens, we're greeted with… nothing. Nev peeks out from behind me at the empty room we're faced with. Beast goes in first, Tony behind him with his goofy hand-blasters ready. Someone hits something, knocks something from a counter to the floor with a very loud clatter. Loud enough that even I flinch. An ungodly shriek and some thumping footsteps alert us of company.

"Opposite way they're comin' from, fourth door on yer left. Natasha and Clint, second basement floor. Beast and Tony, take care of these bastards. Wilson, give the ladies cover an' come find us on the first basement floor." Everyone scatters save the three of us.

"I have the code to get into the security room. Just get us there without any of us losing too much blood," Maria says, bee-lining her way to the main hall. There's nothing coming. Not yet. I hope it stays quiet here. I don't want Nev to be here at all, let alone in serious danger. Not now. Not ever, ideally. Maria pushes the code in, swings the door open. She slips inside, and I turn to leave, not wanting to deal with an emotional 'Bye, good luck' 'Don't say bye, say see ya later' parting. But when I feel Nev grab my wrist… I push my mask up and our lips meet and I lose myself in her taste, just for a few precious seconds. I rest my forehead to hers as she cups my face in one hand, and I leave her wordlessly.

_Go find Logan. Don't worry about them. Panic rooms are solid._

I skirt a mutant, hideously deformed – and that's a big deal coming from me – and head into the basement. Logan's got contact with Nev and Maria, some device he has that resembles a walkey-talkey.

"…channel one, Stark on two and Clint on three. Keep communication to a minimum. Focus on your directives." Maria's really got a handle on this. I dunno why I pegged her as being some silly underling. Everything here is wrecked. There's minimal light and a lot of things are either smoking or sparking, some both. It's creepy down here.

"We gotta clear the floor. Everything that's movin', shoot it, stab it, I don't care." Logan sounds conflicted still.

"Or we could just blow the whole building up. I mean, that'd solve the problem AND you could build something that feels less stuffy. Might I recommend a massive bouncy castle?" I say. He glares at me. "Or, whatever you wanna build. Doesn't have to be a bouncy castle. Could be a big McDonald's play place." There are a lot of bodies and parts of bodies lying around. The floors and walls are splashed with dried, rust colored blood. We can hear things moving but we haven't seen anything yet. Mostly because our light sources are limited.

"There's a room on your left. Shatter proof glass, so I'll get the door." Guh. Nev's being all business. "The subject is loose in the room, so be ready. Door opening in 3, 2, 1." Before any of us can act off our defensive stances, it roars and I'm tackled back. Head against the floor… Ow. I try to stab, but I've lost my blades. And quickly losing my consciousness with them…


	17. Go Down In Glory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade, Logan, and Storm try to work together.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a line in the AFI song Too Late For Gods. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  


* * *

"Wade, come back to us. There you go, eyes open…" Storm's leaning over me. Four of her, actually. And they keep swapping places.

"Right through the gut. That'll kill anything though, ain't rocket science," Logan says. I sit up, briefly unsure of where I am. "Need to go home, Wilson?" I shake my head and push myself the rest of the way up, swaying on my feet.

_What's that? Resentment, still? That shoulda been knocked out of you. Nev's safer where she is and you're more powerful with Storm than without her._

The thing that pounced on me is lying dead with a basketball sized hole in its torso. I give it a nudge with my boot. Yep, deffos dead. I crouch to get a better look at it. It's still mostly humanoid, but its head is misshapen. A thick ridge on its forehead, and grossly oversized arm muscles set it apart from your basic human.

"They're all in their transition phases, where their biggest assets manifest in them physically. It goes away when they learn to control it better. From what I understand, it was a new testing experiment that obviously backfired," Storm explains.

"I dunno, this fella's kinda cute," I say, standing again.

"We still got almost a dozen more rooms and miles of tunnel to get through. Who knows what weirdos we'll bump into," Logan grumbles. He starts heading down the tunnel again, and I follow behind him and Storm. I'm not sure if they notice, but I hear something following us. I keep looking over my shoulder, but there isn't anything there. Starting to feel paranoid, I look up. And wish I hadn't.

_Why couldn't it have just been Parker?_

"Hey, guys? They failed at a Spiderman clone. Don't look up, but there's something looking down at us," I say slowly. Without looking up, Logan reaches up with his claws and rakes the mutant-gone-wrong to the floor. Storm gives it a vicious drop kick sort of move. It's stunned, so I just behead it. When we round the corner, we're greeted with a solid wall. In the fighting, a wall caved in, or the ceiling, something did. We're blocked by rubble.

"Guinevere, pull up a map of basement level one. We're blocked in, so we're going to have to use the vent system to get around. Can you see it and steer us?" Storm radios in. Logan scoffs.

"I could get us through," he grumbles.

"Go in through the opening in the first room you hit. Pretty easy. Hook right, skip the next right, take the third right through the vent and you're out." I wish I could talk to her. She's likely getting doors open and guiding Clint and Natasha as well. Logan rips the vent open, going in first. Storm follows him, leaving me to caboose this detour train.

_Speaking of caboose…_

"You didn't hafta put that dental floss on just for me, Storm," I tease. She kicks, nailing me in the jaw.

"Anymore cute comments, Wade? I can test my other boot on your jaw after you heal up," she says sharply. I just laugh. It's too easy with these people.

"Eyes down, bub. I'll use your guts to distract these things if you make another comment like that," Logan growls from up front. We reach our drop off, and he punches the grate off, freeing us. We slowly drop out of the vent and into the tunnel. Someone's sobbing and wheezing and choking. Storm raises our lone flash light up, and I see the source. A woman, maybe Nev's age making my throat tighten, completely bloodied and sitting in a corner of a security locked room.

"I see where you are. Getting the door open. 3, 2, 1." Nev gets the door open, but this one doesn't attack. Storm goes over to her, slowly. I stay where I am, as does Logan.

"Hey, are you alright? Did they hurt you? We can help, you need to come with us," she says gently.

"Kill me kill me kill me kill me but kill the right me," she starts babbling. When she rises, she reveals her hands.

"Oh, it's Edwina Scissorhands. I got this, I kick Logan's ass enough," I say, drawing my blades and going in. But suddenly there's 50 of her, all spinning and slashing with their creepy fingers. "I don't got it, requesting – Oh, hey guys." They're already helping me. We kill maybe a quarter of them before killing the 'right' one, at which point they vanish in the middle of falling over dead. I see Logan take Storm in his arms. I shove past them and keep going.

_Kill things, get Nev, go home. Home with Nev. Is that such a big deal to ask for?_

"Hey, don't go runnin' off," Logan calls after me.

"You two just keep playing suckface. I'll wipe the floor clean and let you take the credit." I don't even slow down. Something slithers towards me from the darkness, and I just slice it open without looking at it. I hear my team mates break into a jog to catch me. We're coming up to another room. I wanna talk to Nev this time, and I take the communicator away from Logan faster than he can react.

"Nev? I'm at a door. Is there anything in there? So far this place has been like a horror house," I say, hoping to take comfort from her. Instead she just adds to my distress.

"Working on it," she barely whispers. "Maria, keep an eye on the camera at the door. We can't hear-" She hadn't meant to keep holding the button. When it gets pressed again, just for a couple seconds, I can hear something banging on the door to the room they're in. I see the security panel for the room flash green. The door is open but I don't care. I let Storm and Logan go in.

"Nev? Are you ok? You need back up?" I ask, trying not to sound frantic. She doesn't answer. I switch to Tony and Beast's channel. "What the hell's going on up there?"

"We lost their attention. They're swarming the security room-" Gunshots and banging and Logan yelling for me as the communicator goes silent. I'm not up there. I can't help. I go back to Nev's channel but jump in to help Storm and Logan. Four mutants in here, and we can't hit 'em. Some kind of force field. I go from guns to blades and try to stab through it… and succeed. This takes me totally off guard, but I'm hit with an idea. I start trying to slice the shield open now that I have my blades in it.

Somewhere behind me I can sorta see Logan trying the same thing. He's got one and is making decent progress with it. Me, I'm tearing through it too, ripping it open. The shield just dissipates, and I slash the barely humanoid thing up. It explodes as it puts a new shield up, its blood splattering inside the bubble. With the three of us distracted, the other two fellas sprint towards the door. I give chase, it's just a couple steps right? I try to dig my blades into their bubbles, try to drag them back in. One blade catches, but the bubble rips, and the bastard is free and out the door. I try to stick my blade out to keep the door from shutting – my arm, my foot, anything, but I'm not fast enough for that either.

"Wade? Are you still there?" Nev's voice is shaking. I fumble with the stupid thing, desperate to console her.

"Yeah, I'm here. What happened? Are you ok?" I see sparks outside the door. Right where the security panel is. "What happened up there?" Her safety is more important than whatever just happened.

"I guess they figured out what was happening. The security room was swarmed. Gotta say, Maria's a real pro with a hand gun," she says, still shakily. Another loud bang on her end. "Your room was locked again. I guess whatever was in there got out?"

"I wasn't fast enough," I say, feeling like somehow, it's my fault. I feel a hand on my shoulder.

_No. We're in here because you couldn't get to the door fast enough. Tell them to stop acting like they aren't mad._

"Wade… The password setting, it's the relation box I have issues with. I hope you're safe. This is going to be… slow. Especially with-" Tony's plasma blasts are going off behind her. "We lost most of the door. They're trying to cover me long enough to get you out of there. Clint and Natasha are heading up to you, their floor is clear." I lean back against a wall and slide down, sitting with my knees pulled to my chest.

"She'll get us out," Storm says, sounding confident.

_We shouldn't even be in here. If you hadn't been so slow-_

"Shut up! I know it's my fault! It always is!"

"Easy, bub. We never said that," Logan says, sounding almost nice. I bury my face in my arms. Couldn't even kill a couple of mutants. What's the point of me?

* * *

"Guys! Hey, are you guys still in there?" Clint. I don't look up at him.

"We're here. What'd you find?" Logan asks them.

"A handful of mutants. They're dead. There aren't a lot down here, nothing powerful at least. It's like the bigger guys went upstairs. They have three or four up there that just aren't going down." Natasha pauses. "We've had radio contact-"

"Is Nev safe?" I still don't look at them.

"Yes. The hack she's working on is really very complicated, but she doesn't think there are too many layers. We're going up to try to balance out the heat they're taking, you don't seem to need our help," Clint says. "We can't get you out. I'm sorry." There's silence, then their footfalls. Logan and Storm are lost for words.

_Revel in the fact that Logan's not being an ass._

"It's not fair," I say getting up. "I didn't even wanna help you." I look at Logan, feeling very angry very suddenly. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" I scream, throwing a surgeon's table across the room. It crashes against the wall. Logan shoves me against the wall I was just leaning on.

"Shut the hell up, you wanna attract more of them?!" he hisses.

"Who cares?! They can't get in anyway!" I shove him off with more force than I thought I had in me. It takes him off guard too.

"Stop it. Now isn't the time for this," Storm reprimands.

"Uh uh, you aren't innocent either! You treated me just as badly as everyone else! Christ, I finally find someone I can love without feeling stupid about it, get some social standing above 'window licker' and I had to fuck it up by getting us stuck in here!"

"You're over reacting. Stop acting like a spoiled little kid," Storm snaps at me.

"I'm not acting!" I turn away from them, look out the window. Down the tunnel, I can see something glowing. It looks like a stick figure. Whatever it is, it's far away and that's all I care about.

_Not like it can get in. If nothing's been able to break out, you're likely safe in here. Safe from mutants, anyway._

"Wade-" Crash. "I got through the-" Crash. "First two layers. There's still-" Crash. "Three left. Are you-" Crash. "Ok? We're down to three mutants, from four, but they're still-" Crashcrashboom. "Making this very dangerous. Back to work." I don't bother answering. Logan snatches the thing from me. I look up at him, annoyed, but I don't fight back.

"'Ey, you just take care'a you. We're not gonna have any trouble down here," Logan says.

_Why couldn't you think of that? You're too busy being selfish that the day didn't go your way._

I look out the window again. The neon stick figure is gone. Maybe I was just hallucinating again. I crouch, back to the wall. Not sitting. I suddenly don't feel safe. I'm actually pretty sure I wasn't hallucinating. It looked like neon lines of a motion capture suit, maybe. Storm and Logan are talking quietly to each other. Ignoring me. I rise up just enough to look out of the room again. It streaks across the tunnelway. Yeah, that's real.

"Deadpool? Are you ok?" Storm asks. "You keep looking out there like you see something." I ignore that she didn't use my actual name.

"Something's out there. I dunno what it is, a mutant that flipped its lid if I had to guess, but I think it knows we're here," I say, hoping I'm wrong.

"Something's coming at your room, Guinevere's working as fast as she can, she's half through layer three and only getting better. Soon as that door opens, be ready for a fight," Maria says. Her voice is crackly, and I can still hear background battle noises. I stand again, looking out into the tunnel. I see it, it's rushing the room. I see Logan shield Storm against the back wall from the corner of my eye.

"Wilson get back, ya ding-dong!" Logan yells at me. I stand unflinching as it starts smashing at the window. It and the wall start to give just a bit, denting in at me where the thing is smashing. It's ignoring everyone else in the room. All two of them. It's staring at me with four plum coloured eyes, like it has a personal vendetta or something goofy. "Wade!" I hear the door click, but so does the beast.

_That's my girl. She has it in her when it counts._

"Run out behind us." I draw my blades and slice the creature just enough to draw its attention. I squeeze past it and dart down the tunnel. It's not much faster than I am, it isn't catching me, anyway. But then I whip around the corner and I'm faced with the impassable cave-in we had to skirt earlier.

"Climb in after us," Storm yells to me, hanging out of the duct so I can hear her. I flash around behind the mutant, and make a hop for the vent. The mutant smashes away the end chunk I need to hoist myself up. I can faintly hear Storm and Logan arguing about what to do. "We'll get you out of here! We'll come back!"

_Who does Storm think she's kidding?_

"Not me. But I can reach if Experiment Number Failure here would give me a boost," I say, dodging an attack. His body tenses, suddenly. The neon parts of him start crackling, and he shoots a very intense lightning attack I just barely manage to duck out of the way from. "Careful, that was my gorgeous face you almost hit!" I start trying to size him up, the room, the duct, trying to calculate if I can do this. He's charging himself up again.

_Now or never. Heh. Ironic, isn't it. NEVer?_

"Don't even start with me. I AM getting out of here." I jump for the wall, bounce off of it and onto the creature's back. He starts swatting behind him, but he's missing me. I put a blade to either side of his throat and yank back. As he starts bleeding out, he lets loose one last lightning blast. Behind us. At the rubble pile. I use the dead body - which fell right where I needed it to - to boost myself up into the vent system. This place is absolutely going to cave in. I wriggle out at my destination and race towards the stairs.

_You outraced an explosion, this should be cake!_

The stairs are right there, the door just at the top. I can't go out like this. I'm too close. Too close to the doorway, to being accepted, to Nev. I can't just get buried and forgotten here…


	18. What You Want And What You Do To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the X House party, Nev and Wade take time to bond.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a line in the Phoenix song Entertainment. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

I take the stairs three at a time, trying to get out before getting buried and likely forgotten in the maze that is the X Mansion basement. The door is locked. Storm and Logan took the communicator, leaving me unable to relay anything to them.

_Kick the door down. It's flimsy thin sheet metal. Why does it even have a lock?_

As I ready myself to shove my boot through the door, it slides open and I rush through, narrowly missing the opportunity to become Splatpool. I look around me trying to figure out where I am in relation to everyone else. Down the hall, to the right. There's only two mutants now. The other two are bleeding out all over the carpeting. I'm tired. This night is dragging.

 _Why didn't we just blow this place up while we had the chance_?

"You gonna help or stand there like a moron?" Clint asks. I tilt my head at him, but don't answer. Or move. "Here's some incentive. If we kill them, we can leave. The basement is completely blocked, so an organized team can finish up whatever we left down there."

_My God, they are just awful at this killing thing._

"Let me learn you a thing. It's called killing. Are we all paying attention?" I start, pulling out my blades. "First, make sure you have weapons. Weapons are either stabby or shooty. If what you have doesn't function as either, go find yourself a proper weapon." I jump onto the closest mutant, it's crying projectile acid which, really, is pretty cool. Its jaw is misshapen, the bottom jaw stretching out forward way more than it should.

"This is step two. Pick your target, and proceed to stab, slice, or shoot. I like slicing. Pretend your target is a meat log and go to town," I continue, slicing it in half at the waist before taking its head off. "If you grabbed something shooty, unload your gun at various weak points. The head and chest are generally great targets." This mutant, its face covered in eyes and its arms resembling coiled tentacles, falls over motionless, riddled with bullet holes. Most of them are not mine.

"One big detail I should mention… Make sure you have team mates that are distracting the target, and have it at Death's door before you even show up. You get to work less while looking like the hero," I conclude, putting my guns away. "Everyone get that?" No one's looking at me. They're looking at something behind me. "Are we in a cliché scene were there's one right behind me? And I say "Oopsy, I missed one?" Because I kind of suspect that to be the case, based on the fact that everyone's looking behind me."

_I think it's important too that I point out right now that Nev and Maria have been unable to escape because that door doesn't even look like a door anymore._

I turn to look behind me. It's eight stories tall and made of nightmares. It has two magnificent gashes on its throat, too. Guess I should have double tapped.

"You wouldn't happen to have a lesson for taking out a mutant that should be dead, would you?" Beast asks rather curtly.

"No. There's not a set plan for this. Let's just wing it and see what happens," I say. Before we can move, or at least before I can, it muscles its way through us, aiming for the one room we're trying to keep defended. Maria's just managed to squirm out and is out of its way as it smashes at what remains of the door, further bending and twisting it. It's completely ignoring the rather serious attacks going on against it, deflecting the metal weaponry with tiny pulses of electricity.

_That used to be a foot-thick panel of steel._

"No more open doors to safety with the operator dead!" it shrieks. There's just enough space to his right side to squeeze past him as he heaves the scrap metal to one side. I can't push Nev out of the way but I can take the blow for her. I throw myself between them, pulling her to me to better shield her.

"I can think of better circumstances we could be reuniting under," she says. I have to smile despite reeling from the force of the blow I just took for her. It's knocked me to my knees, but she guided me down.

"And I can think of worse. For starters, this fella smashing you into meat paste," I wheeze.

"Is it worth your entire rib cage splintering?" Her tone is laced with concern.

"I'm pretty sure it is, yeah. I can heal myself, you can't," I remind her. I look over my shoulder in time to see the thing fall, head severed, Maria splashed with blood.

_That was more than gory. We won't be seeing Maria the same ever again._

Commotion outside and lights splashing across the walls from the windows catches my attention. SHIELD is here, likely with their non-rebellious Avengers. Yep, because there's Bruce. The door that we didn't really close behind us bursts open and they pour in, Fury leading them.

Aside from some very ignorable din, it's quiet now. Quieter than it should be. Several of my crew look embarrassed, or maybe ashamed. Not Logan though. Not Tony. And even if I did, hey, mask. I'm not sure we did anything wrong here. We likely stopped the destruction of the mansion. I know the basement will need rebuilding, but I have to imagine it's better than losing the entirety of the facility.

"I'm gonna be nice about this. Y'all go on, go home or go to friend's house if you happen to live here. Hell, take tomorrow off! But your asses better be in my office first thing Monday morning." Fury looks every bit of that word.

"Is that so you can come up with a reasonable punishment?" I ask. He's glaring at me.

"Yes."

"May I suggest forcing us to try the entire menu at our restaurant of choice?" I venture. His eye narrows at me.

"Right now, I can't think of any place more dangerous for you to be than in my sight," he says icily. He turns to the rest of my renegades. "We'll be cleaning this mess up if y'all are done. I'll be lenient on those of you who stay to help."

"Let's just go home. He'll be nicer to you because I'm going to tell him to be," Nev murmurs quietly to me. I turn back to her, her touch and her voice softening me. She helps me stand, trying to be careful of all the smashed bones still trying to mend themselves. We manage to slip away, unnoticed by the clean up crew.

 _Well, not entirely_.

"Hey, hang on." Peter's voice, half whispering. I grimace a bit in pain as I look over behind me, trying to spot him. He's managed to sneak off and is still doing his best to not be seen. "You didn't even tell me Fury let you back."

"No. There wasn't any time. Logan kidnapped us as soon as Fury was done with us," I tell him.

"The red alert message started when dad dismissed us. He'd told us to go look for Logan anyway," Nev clarifies.

"I guess you're both just going to leave? He said he'd be nicer if you stayed and helped," Peter reminds us. I shake my head.

"I didn't even want to be here. What do I care if the mansion goes up in flames? They won't even let me be an X Man. I'm here for political reasons," I say bitterly. I feel Nev's hand on my back.

"Well, maybe you'll be more interested now. I heard Coulson and Fury talking about this, I guess the testing was going fine to the point that they were going to have an overhaul of the system and start using this new method of training. Literally overnight, everything fell apart. Security tapes don't show anything, but the alarm tripped and it was ultimately decided that it was a false alarm." He pauses as I sit on the grass, ready for this to take a while. He follows suit but Nev says standing.

"No one was here, they were out on some mission. The alarm rang for just a few seconds, so no one thought anything of it. Even now I'm not sure how many people are connecting the dots outside of Coulson and Fury. But someone was here, and the systems didn't go haywire on their own. Not this bad. Do you know how many fail safes they have set up to prevent this very thing?" He pulls his mask off and runs his hand through his hair.

"I can't believe this is coming out of my mouth but… Have you ever considered having a temporary merc partner that doesn't kill?" he asks slowly.

"A merc that doesn't kill isn't a merc," Nev says, chuckling quietly. Peter smiles at her.

"You want me track this guy down, kill him, and let you have the credit?" I ask, a little confused.

"No, I want to help you track him, help you take him in alive, and get as much credit as my efforts have earned me," he says, looking very serious. I frown.

_This will never work, he'll just get in the way. You're better when you work alone._

"Don't answer him yet," Nev says. "He and I are privy to more information than you are, one of us by force." She stifles a yawn. "You think I can't hack into the SHIELD systems undetected? I know Bruce's detailed history of destruction by heart. I read it a lot because it's funny." She looks proud of herself.

"I have time to think about it. And I will. Until then-" I try to stand, and only manage with an audible groan of pain, "I'm going home and letting the jigsaw puzzle that is my ribs heal up." Peter hops to his feet and looks back at the group he'd left to chase me down. I reach out for Nev's hand, squeezing tightly once our fingers have laced together.

"That's fine. Just… Let me know. I'm willing to help," Peter says. He doesn't look back at us, just tugs his mask down and starts off to rejoin his group.

"Parker." He turns back to me, stopping. I look at my feet. "Thanks." He chuckles and takes off. I wonder if he even knows why I was thanking him.

_Peter. A merc. You should say yes just to watch him squirm out of his comfort zone._

"Well, let's get going. We have a hefty walk ahead of us," I say with a heavy sigh. Nev pulls her hand away to link her arm with mine. "The good thing is, by the time we get back, I should be back in one piece."

"I'm sorry," Nev says. I look at her, a little confused.

"Why are you sorry?" I ask.

"I dunno. You're hurt, and it was because I wasn't fast enough behind Maria-"

"I wasn't either. Fast enough. Down in the basement. That's why we got stuck in that room. I got upset with myself and threw a table. That was actually kind of cool, if not a little childish as Storm kindly pointed out," I tell her, rambling a little.

"I apologise a lot. For things that aren't my fault. I picked that up from my buddy Pedro. She apologized for everything, I could say hello and she'd say sorry. I've grown out of it mostly, but I still do it sometimes. You're worse than me at this point," Nev says, still holding onto me.

"You know a girl named Pedro?" I ask, trying to think if I missed anything.

"Her name is Heidi. Long story. But I've known her for almost ten years. We've lost touch in the last four or so. Another long story. Life just gets in the way sometimes," she says, sounding a little sad. I nuzzle my head to hers briefly in comfort.

"Not in our way. Not while I'm still able to do things about it."

* * *

Nev is still, lying in my arms, just her sides moving as she breathes, our very naked bodies pressed together where ever possible. I'm wide awake, replaying everything that happened in the last hour in a loop. I'd been far more wound up about it than her, mostly because I was sure my body would send her running. She'd slid her hands under my shirt and pulled it off, and I froze. It was her eyes that locked me up, tracing over every scar of my flawed skin. Then she told me, "You're beautiful". I nearly cried. I don't know how I kept it together. Right this minute, I'm just regurgitating and redigesting how we ultimately claimed each other. Tears streamed down her cheeks briefly as we'd held each other after, regaining our senses. It's been a while since I could accurately call it 'making love'.

"Wade? Are you awake?" I hold her tighter, feeling possessive again. She shifts slightly and I feel her breath on my chest.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I ask her quietly.

"Shouldn't you?" she teases. I can't help but smile at her. "I did sort of doze off, but I'd rather be awake with you." My heart lurches into my throat. I don't know what to say her, so I just nuzzle my face to hers, move my lips to her jaw and kiss her. When she tilts her head back, I nibble my way down to the crook of her neck, where I stop and just bury my face. I feel her free an arm, they'd been folded between us, and she runs her hand over my back.

"I could get used to this," I mumble, lips hindered by our closeness. Nev shifts against my body again, causing me to shudder as I react to our bodies being so close. She's still rubbing my back. With our chests sealed together, I can feel her steadied heartbeat. It's… comforting. I close my eyes and press a kiss gently to her skin. "And I will never love anyone the way I love you." Her hand stops on my back, instead she just holds onto me.

_This must be what happiness feels like. You've forgotten what that's like._

And when she tells me "I love you, Wade", and follows this by draping her leg over my waist and rolling her hips forward suggestively, I would readily swear to any deity that I could not possibly feel more complete.

* * *

**"Eight stories tall and made of nightmares" is a quote from Deadpool: A Typical Tuesday on youtube, made by Bean Dip Productions.**   
  



	19. Beautiful Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter interrupts Wade and Nev as they bond.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Garona, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a song title by the band AFI. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song. Cotija's is an actual restaurant chain that I am not affiliated with but miss with all my heart.  
ITP: Poolio/OC fluff

* * *

For the first time in a very long time, waking up doesn't feel entirely like a chore. This is likely due to finally having some reciprocated feelings from someone I love, and my time awake can be enjoyed with her. Without bothering to open my eyes, I pull Nev tighter to me.

"Are you going to avoid SHIELD today? A day off would be kind of nice," Nev says, voice still thick with sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere near that place. Partly because I'm trouble, but I don't wanna bump into anyone who's gonna try to get me on some job. I've already got Peter to deal with," I mumble back. She twists in my arms and I try to open my eyes to see what she's doing. Hers are closed, but she's facing me now, head nuzzled to my chest and legs tangled with mine. We never did redress ourselves. I kiss the top of her head, feeling only half conscious with contentment.

"Glad you're not feeling weird about the sudden jump in our relationship," she says playfully. I change my hold on her to reflect my recent selfishness of her. "I'm glad my feelings are reciprocated." I cover her lips with mine, the contact still enough to drive me crazy.

"More than." We lay still together. Our breathing breaks the silence, but nothing else. We hadn't even bothered with the heater. When we'd gotten through the door, we'd just stumbled to the bedroom. She'd changed faster than me, I was in the final stages of my torso not being a sack of crushed bone but still sore. When we'd actually gotten into bed, she expressed her concern and I tried to quell it by kissing her. Kissing, clearly, is a gateway action.

"Do I want to know what time it is?" I ask, wanting to just stay in bed with her all day.

"It's pushing noon. And I don't know about you, but I think lunch would be a great idea right about now," she says. I give her a squeeze.

_Don't start pouting._

"That requires getting up. I don't want to get up."

_You don't want to let go of her. Or put clothes on._

"Getting up and getting dressed isn't fun," I say grumpily. Nev looks up at me, her eyes bright and making my heart soar.

"Can't get Cotija's if you're in bed," she teases. I close my eyes and let out a breath.

_She's right. And it's your day off so you can actually enjoy food rather than inhaling it._

"Ok. Because they offer chimichangas, and they offer them wet," I concede. She gives me a quick kiss before she pulls away, hopping out of bed. I was hoping for a few minutes more with her. She's hurrying to get dressed, so I don't even get that as a consolation prize. She looks at me as she frees her hair from her shirt collar.

"Come on, don't look so grumpy. Your favourite food is maybe ten minutes away if you stop pouting," she says, smiling. "And maybe we can enjoy the day. Go for a walk or something."

_Ugh. Walking. Doing stuff. Sounds hard. Wait, didn't I say that to you earlier?_

"You did but it's still true. Doing things is hard." My eyes are mostly still closed as I push the blanket off and attempt to stand. I can hear Nev in the bathroom, readying herself to face the world. Lucky me, step into a suit, pull a mask over my face, yank my boots on, and I'm set. She's very happy though, bouncing around like she just won the lottery.

_Maybe in her mind, she has. You sure feel that way._

"How can you be so… chipper so soon after getting up?" I ask her as she wriggles past me to get outside. She just looks at me from the passenger side of the car, waiting for me to come unlock the doors.

"We're gonna go do stuff. Fun stuff. Nothing work related, no mutants or shooting or worrying about each other. How long has it been since either of us have gotten to do something normal, and with company? Company we like?" she asks seriously. She's smiling. "About the only thing that can put a damper on this day, pun acknowledged, is that it may rain. But that's a risk I'll take."

* * *

Cotija's is more or less the best Mexican place in the immediate area. The only problem is that there's virtually no parking, not unlike the rest of New York. Nev did say something about going for a walk though, so I park at the duck pond. It's not so far away from Cotija's that the walk there will hurt either of us.

_Besides, it's day time and the ducks should be out. She liked your cranes, she'll like the ducks._

"Sorry Wade, but I don't think ducks are capable of making chimichangas. Or tacos, or burritos, or basically any cuisine of any nationality," she says, watching the small herd of ducks swimming across the water. I take her hand, feeling braver after our bonding last night. She squeezes back.

"They can't. All they can do is hork up pre-digested bugs," I tell her cheerfully.

 _No, that won't ruin her appetite at all_.

"Hm, if we're going to eat I probably shoulda thought that line through better," I say sheepishly. But she chuckles and rests her head against my shoulder. There aren't any other people here. Just us and the ducks and the fish we can't even see. "I just figured since we're out and the ducks are out, we should come see them. The city actually maintains this area. Maybe someone who likes how empty it is as much as I do and comes here to hide. The pond is man-made and it's got a filter and a heater so it doesn't freeze up." Nev pulls away and stands at the very edge of the pond, peering in curiously. From here I can see the fish poking their mouths at the surface, begging for food.

"Too bad for them, being hungry." She steps backward, away from the water, and returns to my side.

"I don't share my food with anyone. Fish count as anyone," I say. "So don't get any ideas about coming back to feed 'em."

_There won't be any food left anyway. You eat like you have two stomachs._

"Having two stomachs would be great," I answer with a smile.

"Cows have four, you can ask them what having multiple stomachs is like," she offers.

"Nooo. I hate cows. I fought a cow once. I was just trying to be nice and the bastard bit me," I say resentfully. It makes Nev chuckle, and trying to have a good day with her is pretty much my only goal right now. She looks up at the sky. The clouds are dark and a little ominous, but it hasn't even tried to rain yet.

 _Look, you probably jinxed it. And you without an umbrella_.

"If you only think something and it happens, does that still count as jinxing it?" I ask.

"Is it your fault it's now looking very much like rain?" she asks me with a glare. I grin despite the mask.

"Possibly!" I answer cheerfully. And as soon as she shakes her head and smiles at me, the sky opens up and drenches us. I can barely see across the park, and it's a pretty small area. I reach for Nev's hand and am surprised when I feel her take mine. There's a pavilion thing with a single picnic table under it on said other side of park, and that's where we run to. Nev pops herself up onto the table, legs hanging over the end, laughing just as much as I am. I stand before her and hold her tightly to me. We're both soaked, but it's freezing and I'm hoping I can keep off most of the cold.

"Did you consider we might freeze like this?" she asks, pressing into me.

"I don't mind. We'd make a neat ice sculpture, a conversation piece while people have their lunch here," I say. "Maybe we could charge people to see us."

"No one ever comes here," Nev points out.

_Valid point. You should think about things before you say them, that's twice you've not done that since we got here._

"I never think about what I say. But I do think, sometimes, and I'm pretty sure…" I let go of Nev and step back to get into my belt. She gives me a look for letting go but I'm trying to get something for her. There it is. I pull out one of my coats and offer it to her. She stares at it, then my belt.

"Do I even want you to explain how you cram everything in there?" she asks, hesitantly accepting my offer.

"Actually it's kinda cool, but I can't explain it. Well, I can a little. Something Bruce and some other agents worked on, something about particle or atomic or spatial displacement or whatever. Then I started packing stuff they thought was weird like ticker tape and waffle irons and I think they regret it now," I say. "But when they need to label breakfast food items, y'know, they'll be thanking me." She's just smiling at me, pulling my coat around her. "Little less cold?"

"Yes. Thanks." The way she's looking at me pulls me back in, and I hold her with my head resting atop hers. "Aren't you cold too?"

"No. Maybe. A little. It doesn't bother me though, have you seen me pull a jacket on over the suit once since we met? I mean I had that one but I haven't used it since I think last year," I answer. I can feel her breathing against me, her lungs expanding and deflating, and the rain is starting to let up. I sort of don't want the scene to end. She lifts her head from my chest to check on the rainfall. "Light enough for us to make it to lunch?"

"I think so. That's kinda how it's always been here, rains for ten minutes then stops and the clouds are all gone five minutes after," Nev answers. She doesn't look away from the quickly disappearing rain, but she snakes her arms around my middle. "Even cold and wet this is nice." I close my eyes, feeling more than a little pleased. And maybe just a touch hungry.

"But the whole reason you dragged me out of bed was for eating. So… Let us away to the land of ranchero sauce drenched deep fried burritos."

* * *

"Hhh… Really?" I breathe against Nev's lips. I'm a little dizzy with arousal, so I wait to see if the knock is repeated. I feel her kiss along my jawline and my body tenses. But there's a second set of knocks. "Damn it." I try to get to my feet, up from pinning Nev to the couch, and I hear her giggling at my unsteadiness.

"I know it's late, I'm sorry. But we need to get started," Peter calls from outside. Nev and I are already changed for the night, and I really don't want to be bothered. "C'mon. I just need to find out what SHIELD knows, I can do the rest myself from there. Won't take an hour." I feel Nev behind me, arms around me, one hand... quite a bit lower than the other.

"We can pick back up where we started when we get back," she says quietly, her head resting against my back. "He's not going to give up."

"Can I at least come in while you get ready? It is actually very cold out here," he pleads. He sounds like a kid. He is, sorta, I guess. But he sounds like it now more than usual. Nev pulls away from me and lets him in while I disappear to redress. "Sorry, I should have called."

"It's fine. Doing this when it's closed is probably a good idea anyway. Or, minimal security, I guess, it's never really closed," she says thoughtfully.

"All I need is for you to hack out the information. I can get everything else I need from there," he tells her. I step into the room, not in uniform. Just normal civilian clothes save the hat with the hood pulled up. Peter looks at Nev who's smiling at me.

"You look so much better when your face isn't covered," she says, standing. "Come on, and don't be all sulky about it. You'll just make it take longer."

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Peter asks.

_That sounds awfully feminine. Are you sure this is the real Peter?_

"Why are you acting like a girl?" I ask. He looks at me, a little floored.

"Well, I mean, the way you're looking at her… I haven't seen that look in a long time," Peter says. "Not since…" I look at my hands.

"She's very kind. Even to a failure like me," I say finally.

"You haven't failed her. And if I recall, you haven't failed anything or anyone in quite some time," he points out. I turn my head to him but can't look at him. Nev's at Coulson's computer, hacking away and humming to herself like it's no big deal. She already tampered with the security cameras, so we can't be seen.

"I kinda think I only liked her because she was being nice to me, and she only liked me 'cause she felt sorry for me," I admit to him.

"Does any of that matter? I'll acknowledge that reasons for attraction matter to some extent, but are you happy? I don't have to ask that, you've actually been smiling lately," Peter says almost sternly. "That's the part that matters."

"We had fun today. Got caught in the rain on our way to lunch and watched a movie and things went on," I say, trying not to ramble.

"See. You're happy. For the last, what, two years I've had to beg you to do anything outside of basic hit-for-hire stuff," he says. "I guess circumstances with her are a little different."

"The internet doesn't think so," I say. He looks confused. "Don't worry about it."

"K, I've gotten a lot of nice base stuff for you, Peter. Do this out of your place, we don't have a lot of time left on the security scramblers," Nev says. She shuts off the computer and hands some hastily scribbled notes to Peter.

 _Case name: Gastank_  
Ringleader: Rexgar (deceased) – Gaerna (deceased) – Tarom (whereabouts unknown)  
BoO: Egypt (destroyed) – Kenya (destroyed) – India (speculated) - Morocco (speculated)

"Well. That's what you came up with," I say, feeling a little sick as I stop reading. "Why do you think it was these guys? They seemed pretty… weak." I'm hoping it can be debunked.

"You don't know anything about Tarom, do you?" Peter asks. I just wait til he explains. We start to leave the building as he continues. "He organized the group in the first place, but passed the offensive tactics off to others to keep his hands clean. You want to know about someone who's been burned by mutants, well. He's your posterboy. First his parents, then his sister. Then his pregnant wife. All just accidents – we try to keep the deaths of civilians to a minimum but you know, sometimes…" He looks sideways in Nev's direction.

"Anyway, the people he's hired have been terrible. The word is that Tarom has been in New York several times in the last month. I'll go through all of this and get back with you guys in a day or so. SHIELD won't be that fast," he says.

"You sound like you're enjoying this," I say smugly.

"Innocent people were killed. It's awful. I can't let this go, even if I have to change my approach," he says quietly. Nev yawns and leans against me. "Go ahead and go home. Thanks for doing this, though." Peter says nothing more and swings his way towards his place. I look down at Nev.

"Think he can do this?" I ask, walking her to the car.

"Well, he has the enthusiasm down," she says with a smile. "We'll worry about him when we get started with that. Right now, I'm a little more interested in picking up with you where I left off."


	20. Too Late For Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chasing Tarom leads Wade to a reuinion with Death.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Gaerna, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
**The chapter title is a song title by the band AFI. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**  
 **If the German doesn't make sense (I was aiming for something to the extent of "my heart will always belong to you"), blame Google Translate.**

* * *

The phone ringing is not how I like my mornings started off, but I've come to accept that as one of those things that's here to stay. I start to throw it, but Nev takes my wrist and gently pulls the phone from my hand.

"Hi, Peter … Yeah, it's ok though … Ok, good … Give us just a couple hours unless- … k, thanks." She twists around to put the phone down on the table so I can't reach it if it rings again before sinking back down into my arms. "He said it can wait. He also said Logan's gonna help us."

"I'm tired of working with him," I mumble into her hair.

"I thought you liked him," she says, sounding confused.

"I'm not sure you're awake enough to consider all the physical abuse he's hurled at me," I remind her. She nestles her head into my chest more, the blanket covering her face. As I pull her closer, her body pressed to mine, and I slide my hand down her thigh to coax her leg over my waist. I just want to feel close to her. Physically close, as much skin touching as we can manage. It's comforting.

_You've been reaching out for that comfort a lot lately._

"It's been a while since I've felt actual true comfort," I say in response. Nev starts running her hand over my back, fingertips trailing along my spine.

"Do you feel it now?" I tilt her head up, fingers at her chin, locking my eyes with hers. I'm having problems focusing from the impact of emotion. She just looks back like she's waiting for an answer. I close my eyes and rest my forehead to hers.

"Mein Herz wird immer dir gehörenn." I feel her lips on mine, a brief but very meaningful kiss. "You don't even know what I said. I could have threatened to harvest your organs."

"You didn't," Nev says smiling. "I don't know much German, but I know your tones. And I love you, too." She drives the words home by pulling me into a kiss so intense I nearly forget to breathe.

* * *

"Wade, come on. He can help. He's probably the only one who can," Peter begs. I glare at him, arms crossed. "He can leave as soon as we find Tarom. In fact, he offered to." I'm still not budging. "Wade, he can literally sniff the guy out. That's the hardest part and Logan can give it to you on a silver platter." I keep my glare fixed on him. "Damn it. Why are you being so difficult? I thought you liked him!"

_You shouldn't have been so obvious about it! Now you can't get away from him._

"Great advice, too bad I couldn't have gotten it sooner. Now I feel like I can't do anything without him, and he likes stabbing me, and I didn't want to help him at his stupid house, I wanted-"

"You need to stop putting your wants before everyone else's needs," he says with a frown.

"Because they always showed me the same courtesy," I spit. Nev's across the hacking training room from us, uploading some files she swiped from both Coulson and Fury onto her laptop.

"Besides, I thought you had ways to find this guy," I say sharply.

"Yeah, by getting Logan to help," he says with a shrug.

"I'm live," she calls to us. "I can get real time updates to any of the files regarding Gastank and Tarom. Mirrored files for the win." She shuts said laptop and folds her hands over it, looking at me intently. Waiting for me to be final regarding Logan.

_Worst case you can use him as a decoy. He can't die any better than you can, perfect for decoy missions!_

"Fine. He can help us find the guy. This is MY mission though, and I don't wanna give him any more credit than him helping us find the guy," I say, unable to hide the resentment in my voice. Nev stands, slipping the computer into its bag, slung over her shoulder. Peter gives me a quiet thank you.

"What I'm not really getting right now, they keep lying to us. We were sure Gaerna was the leader, but she wasn't. Then we were sure it was Rexgar. But they knew. They lied. And I don't understand why they would try to keep it from us," she says as we go in search of Logan. "I mean, they haven't even launched their own covert hide and seek team for him."

"Probably because the name Tarom would make everyone panic. They probably know they have time, he hasn't left the city since the yellow alert was issued. That's a long time for him," Peter says. "They did intercept a few projectiles lobbed at this building in the last two weeks, but that isn't common knowledge either." We spot Logan, yelling at Fury who is absolutely yelling right back at him. I stop a couple steps from the lift. I don't want to get too close. Not while they're fighting. But Logan sees me and starts towards me. I try to scramble backwards, fumbling for the elevator button but he grabs me and drags me to Fury.

"Tell 'im. We got most of them killed off, it was a blood bath down there. One escaped, one too many, an' as slow as your team moves more woulda got out. You only showed up when you did 'cause you were stoppin' us. You didn't even have a full team with you. Tell 'im how much we did, Wilson," Logan's giving me a look. I don't like the look.

"We killed a few. Some looked like big threats but it wasn't – I didn't even want to be there. I got my torso cracked open chasing after one of them, and my ribcage smashed up stopping the rest of them. I'm doing this for politics, so people will stop saying I'm useless. If you two want to argue about right calls and wrong calls, leave me out of that part. I will take Logan off your hands, though, Mr. Fury. I'll bring him back and watch you fight later," I spill quickly, muscling Logan off towards a very terrified looking Peter.

"Just a sec there, Mr. Wilson," Fury says with sarcasm. I cringe but stop. Logan stops resisting me, even backs off as Fury comes to my side, hand on my shoulder. "You're in a pretty awkward place right now. I have to like you, kinda obligated seeing as we got a common interest here. But on the other hand, you are actually still in trouble. If you're gonna act like a rebellious little kid, I'm gonna go ahead and treat ya like one. So now you have to answer me… Where are you going, Wilson? And why are you taking Logan and Peter?" He's smiling but I hate his tone.

"If I tell you, I want to make a deal," I say, feeling almost scared. This guy is intimidating as sin.

"I'll listen. Not gonna promise you much but I'll listen," he says, dropping his hand and crossing his arms. I look over at Nev, hoping that seeing her will give me bravery. She gives me a thumbs up, making me smile. I turn back to Fury.

"Does the name Tarom mean anything to you?" I ask. His expression changes, and he looks past me at Nev. "No no, this isn't about what she did or did not hack into. Back to us. There ya go. We think we can find him. We got Logan's super sniffer, Petey's super sense-"

"Spidey… sense…"

"Whatever. And we got my need for validation and acceptance. Between the three of us, we can't lose. As far as finding him, anyway. Killing him or disabling him or whatever we end up doing after we find him, my plan hasn't gone that far yet. This is probably the part where I give up on my own plans and just tell you to call for your Avengers, minus the one I'm taking with me, and be ready when I tell you we've got him. If I can pull this off, I'm off the hook for the permission-free throw down at the frat house. Yes, no, maybe, questions, comments, and or concerns?" I summarise, rocking back onto my heels.

"One statement and one question before I don't tell you I approve but fail to stop you from going. First off, I was gonna launch a team to try to find him on Wednesday. Congratulations on beating me to the punch. But, if I may. Why are you bringing Guinevere with you?" he asks, fatherly expression plastered on his face. I look at her again, she's messing with Peter, laughing as she makes him put his hand on his head.

"She's getting real time updates about Tarom, everything SHIELD gets in, she'll see it. Makes it easier for us," I say, smiling. Fury heaves a sigh.

"All you want is to be off the hook? No medals or money or your own Helicarrier?" he asks. I look down at my feet. It takes him a second, but he gets it. "Guinevere."

"And I already have your blessing, as far as I can tell," I say quietly. I hear him let out a breath.

"Well. Protocol says I'm s'posed to advise against this kinda stuff. It's dangerous, don't do it, et cetera. Above all, you keep her safe. Understand me?" he says, his tone both gentler and angrier than I've ever heard it. I just look at him, silently asking why he thinks I wouldn't. He walks over to Nev, pulls her away from Peter, who snatches his mask back from her, and addresses her privately. She looks at me, then back at Fury, nodding. He smiles at her, but gives me a serious look as he walks past me. He turns around pointing at Logan.

"We ain't done yet! I'll get back to you when you're all done out in the field!" He gives Logan a mocking smile and wave before disappearing down the hall.

"A quick, snappy 'water tribe' would have just really sealed that all up," Coulson, who I hadn't even noticed show up, says almost regretfully.

"Want me to?" I offer. He shrugs.

"Moment's over. Did he say where he's going? He just sent me a message saying he needs me, but didn't say where to meet him," he says. He must want Coulson to help track us. Watch us.

"His office. Let's go," Maria walks past him, very authority-like and not splattered in mutant blood. Nev shimmies under my arm and hugs my middle.

"Big Brother's going to be keeping a close eye on us," she says. I nod.

"Logan's fault," I say. I hear him growl.

"My fault? You came with me and participated. Just as much your fault as mine, bub. Don't play innocent, that won't work with me," he snarls. I'm not intimidated anymore. I know he won't do anything so long as Nev is here. Not because she'll go crying to Fury, she won't. But he respects her, which is sort of funny.

"Let's worry about that later," Peter says slowly. "The last hit was what, the other side of the city? And that was twenty minutes ago. We won't catch him if we aren't quick."

"Well, not all of us can swing from buildings," I say. "Though, I mean, I COULD if you'd lend me a-"

"No. We already tried that," he says firmly. And Nev's eyes get as big as dinner plates.

"Story time. Tell." She looks at us all, waiting.

"Some buildings were destroyed. And SHIELD was in a lotta debt," Logan says. His tone ends the conversation. "Across town. Where to?"

* * *

"1700 block was the last sighting," Nev says as we scurry along through the city. "Hacked a security camera to confirm it."

"Got a scent. Stay close and be fast," Logan says, bee lining through people as he follows whatever he's found. The rest of us jog along behind him.

"Do you even have a plan once we find him?" Peter whispers.

"Yes. You get to take Nev home. Logan and I will take him out," I whisper back.

"What?! Why me?" I sigh at him.

"Logan and I are healing machines. You'd get a skinned knee and go crying home," I taunt.

"No way. You didn't even want to work with Logan in the first place. I'm staying, he can take her," he argues. I frown. He's right, I actually still don't want to work with Logan. "The last time you had to work without her under your feet you threw a fit," he reminds me.

"I know. And I don't really want to have to again. At least this time she won't even be near the danger. It's safer for her," I mumble. Peter looks at me briefly.

"I know how needy you can get. You were like that with me, though-"

_Ugh, really? Him too? Did he finally Google himself?_

"-without all the romance, which would have made me stop talking to you," he says sternly. Logan stops suddenly and looks up at a very tall building.

"He's up there. I can smell 'im. An' hear him, he's on the phone with someone," he growls. Without a word Peter starts swinging himself up there. With no backup. Ideally this will just be to lure him down. Even from way down here, we all hear the metallic clang that precedes Peter falling from the top of the building he'd just swung up to. He rights himself mid-air and uses his web to slow his fall. Tarom has jumped behind him and lands on him, both crashing to the ground. Nev wisely steps back a few paces as Logan rushes in. Peter rushes out like it's some weird tag team fight.

"I'll take her back, and I'll return as soon as I can. This shouldn't take long," he says. "Why are you hesitating?"

_Can you say gut feeling without him thinking you're crazy?_

"Would you believe me if I said gut feeling?" I ask.

"Yes, actually," Peter says.

"I don't want to go back," Nev says. "I mean, since you asked me how I felt and all." I look from Logan to her, then step to her and hold her face in my hands, resting my cheek to the top of her head.

"I know I threw a tantrum about having to be split up at the mansion, but at least had we been together there I could have protected you. This way, you won't even need protecting. I can't… I'm not putting you in a situation that can easily be avoided." I squeeze my eyes shut. "I need you to trust me, since I'm not entirely sure I trust myself. I don't want you to go either, because-"

"Hey Wilson, ya interested in helping?" Logan calls.

"You'll need more than him!" Tarom hisses.

_That's not even a proper speaking voice. Creepy._

"Go on. I can't exactly contribute to this fight anymore. I'll be waiting for you at SHIELD, though. And I don't want to have to spend the night there." she says with a forced smile. She kisses my cheek through my mask, then slips her arms around Peter who swings off with her.

_Ok, that jealousy there is pretty stupid. However…_

"Use my frustration to take out the bad guy!" I say cheerfully.

"Can't hit him Wilson. He doesn't hit too hard but he can dodge like a pro," Logan warns.

"You don't have guns," I remind him. We're slowly herding Tarom, finally get him backed into an alley, blocked by a very tall wooden fence.

_This is it? The big huge menace?_

"This was pretty easy. I don't even get why you're a threat," I say, unable to hide my disappointment. He rushes forward, between Logan and me. And I feel something wet and warm spilling down my front. My throat hurts. I look over at Logan who is much is the same predicament.

"Easy? Let me know when you've caught me how easy it was," Tarom sneers, and he disappears around a corner.

"Shoulda kept you out of this, you let 'im get away," Logan says weakly. It's the last thing I hear before I pitch forward, losing blood faster than I can regenerate it.


	21. Cry Like A Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nev eases Wade through some troubling hours.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Gaerna, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a song title by the band Passion Pit, and the chapter is loosely based on the lyrics. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  
Author's Note; In the game, I realise Deadpool can't get drunk. In Classic Deadpool and Deadpool Max, however, he can. I'm going with that.

* * *

"I see you've met someone. I haven't been with you for some time now. You've been careful lately," Death says gently. I nod.

"Fury's adopted daughter," I say.

"Well, if you had to fall for someone, you made sure it was someone pretty high up, didn't you?" she asks.

"Are you jealous?" I ask, genuinely concerned. Death smiles, a serious task for her.

"I'm not. So long as you are happy, my love," she says, caressing my face.

"I am. On a level I forgot even existed," I answer, suddenly longing for Nev's touch instead. Death draws back, as if she senses it.

"Very well. I suppose I should give you back to her. My time with you is always so short, but I feel better sending you back knowing you won't be so alone." Death makes a sweeping gesture with one arm, and I find myself gasping in lungfuls of air.

* * *

I dunno how long I've been sitting here anymore.

_Hours? Days?_

I dunno if I'm waiting for Nev or if she left while I wasn't looking.

_She wouldn't leave you. Well, she might if she saw you like this._

"She will anyway, she's gotta come out eventually," I argue. I'm not used to hearing my voice like this. I turn and look at the doors to the building. It is Nev, leaving the SHIELD tower, phone in hand. When she sees me, sees all the bottles at my feet, she pockets her phone and walks over to me, slowly. She looks…

_Disappointed._

"That's an awful lot of alcohol," she says. "And… I don't see anyone else here." I look down at them, not wanting to look at her. "I'm not a teetotaler, I love the occasional fruity girly drink, but I'm not terribly fond of people who get trashed out of their minds. Kind of started with my friend Tanya, it was rare to see her father sober. Sorta destroyed her family, she ended up in Kentucky. Tanya, not her father. I haven't seen her in a long time." She just stands there, not saying anything. Maybe it's being drunk, maybe it's how uncomfortable it feels knowing she's displeased with me.

"I don't feel like I really have a purpose or a direction or anything. Kinda like I'm just existing to finish some quest proving I'm worth anything," I tell her, trying to justify doing this. Her face softens considerably. She's quiet for what seems like hours.

"Do you even know where you are?" she asks finally, pulling her coat around her. "If anyone catches you like this, you're going to be in a lot of trouble."

_Looks a lot like your coat._

"Your coat looks a lot like mine," I say, ignoring her statement.

"It is yours. You let me wear it when it rained and I didn't give it back," she says. She sighs. "You can't drive, but I can't leave you here. I don't actually want anyone to find you like this, I'd risk… Just, let's go." She holds her hand out. "We'll have to walk back to your place." I'm almost too ashamed to accept her help.

"Maybe you should just leave me here to freeze to death," I mumble.

"You can't die, and I don't want you too, anyway. Come on," Nev sighs again. I take her hand and immediately know I can't stand up without her help. I latch onto her, and even if she is mad at me, her touch is the same as I remember it always being as she holds me upright.

"'M useless," I tell her again.

_You need to make her believe it, and drunken slurring isn't going to accomplish that._

"Logan said so," I continue. I watch our feet as we go, she's walking perfectly fine, in her weird toe-heel fashion. I'm just stumbling along inelegantly at her side.

"I don't care what Logan said," Nev tells me. "You aren't useless, you've done a lot of things lately that even SHIELD's best agents wish they could do." She shifts me a little, but the movement makes me dizzy and I cling to her tighter.

"Tarom got away," I tell her. "He almost killed me and Logan and then he got away."

"What does that have to do with you and your level of use?" she asks, sounding very patient.

"Logan said I shouldn'ta even been on the job," I slurr, my vision blurring with tears. "He wouldn'ta got away if I hadn't been there."

"You can't know that," Nev says. "I'm not sure your presence affected the outcome either way."

"I don't even really think I'm worth all your feelings," I say, starting to just spill all my doubts.

"I know you don't, but you've got them anyway," she tells me. "I think you're worth it, that's what matters." I swallow hard, trying not to cry. I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore.

_Plus if you cry, you're going to be sick all over her._

"I'm sorry if I get sick all over you," I mumble. She just shifts me again.

"You'll be ok. We're almost home, I'll get you into bed and you can just sleep like tonight never even happened," she says. She eases me up the couple of steps to the door, where I proceed to nearly fall over trying to retrieve the house keys. Nev just stands with me, holding me, being patient, all the things I'm sure I don't deserve anymore. She closes the door behind us and guides me to bed, going so far as to lay me down and get the blanket over me. But then she starts to leave. I grab her wrist, and she turns to me. I don't think she can see me pleading with my eyes through my mask.

"Stay. Please?" I croak out pathetically. She pulls her wrist away and steps out of her shoes, changes from jeans to something more sleeping friendly, and gets into bed next to me, pulling me into her arms. I'm not used to being held. Hugged, sure, I've been getting a lot of hugs lately. But being held? Comforted? I squeeze my eyes shut, praying silently that the nausea and threat of tears will pass.

"Are you mad?" I manage.

"No. I'm at a loss on what to say to you though. I can tell you I disagree with how you feel about yourself, the way others tend to see you. But I have no idea how to say, or even what to say, to make you see what I do." I feel her hand on my back moving, drawing little circles, absent minded actions meant to soothe me. Her other hand is cradling my head to her chest. "Ideally, you won't be doing that 'drink all the things' act anymore."

"'M sorry," I mumble, starting to feel very tired.

"Don't be sorry. Personally, I only say sorry if someone's mad. And only sometimes. And usually I don't mean it," she says, making me smile.

"I mean it though," I tell her. "I don't wanna make you mad or disappoint you. I can live with letting people down sometimes but you aren't in that group." I try to hide a yawn from her.

"Go ahead and sleep," Nev says. "I won't go anywhere. I'll still be here when you wake up."

* * *

My eyes flicker open. Not sure what woke me, likely the crash of nausea. Nev's still here like she said she'd be, asleep and still holding me. I slip from her arms and stumble out of the house, not wanting to wake her by being sick on the other side of the wall. I empty my insides into the bushes that line the porch.

_You were polite enough not to get sick on her. Good for you._

"I shouldn't have made myself sick in the first place," I mumble back. I sit on the steps, curled in on myself. My head's still swimming and I'm pretty sure I'm not done tossing my cookies. The moon shining through the drapery of trees is leaving an interesting pattern of shadows on the walkway. I stare at them as I try to calm myself. Actually, I want to lie back down, but I don't to risk waking Nev to do it.

_Coming out here at all was a bad idea._

I lie down on the wooden porch instead, still watching the shadows. I can hear Logan telling me I shouldn't have been part of the mission. It's like all my self confidence that I've been working so hard to rebuild spilled out when the bastard slit my throat. I can feel the last of the drunk and hang over residue disappearing as the moon-made shadows creep across the walkway, eventually moving into the grass. I'm still debating on if I want to get up or not when the door opens.

Nev doesn't say anything. Just crouches in front of me and stares, asking me to say something with her expression. I look back, feeling a little defeated.

"Your coat looks familiar."

"Yes. It's yours. We've been over this."

"Have we? Hm. Coat aside, it's cold out here. You should go back to bed."

"It's empty and it's bothering me."

"Wanna go to Toys R Us and get a stuffed critter to hug? I suggest an okapi.'

"No. Well, yes, I love stuffed animals. But right now I'd be happier to have you back in bed with me." I sit up, and Nev pulls back, looking at me expectantly. "Please stop acting like you still feel guilty."

"I'm not still sorry about the drinking."

"That isn't what I meant." Her tone is still gentle. It's sort of the only reason I'm not currently afraid of her. Or of her opinion of me, I guess.

_And hers is the only one you care about anymore, anyway._

"Of course I care about her opinion." She smiles faintly.

"My opinion is that it's cold and we should go to bed. It's late enough to be early now," Nev says, taking my hands as I stand and leading me to the door, back inside. I push the door closed and see to it that it's locked before following her to bed. I've already shed my mask, and I just really don't care enough to bother with the rest of the suit. She again pulls me to her.

"You can't be this upset over one snafu," she tells me, running a hand over the top of my head.

"It isn't that he got away. I expected that, no way were we gonna corner him and then politely ask him to come with us. I'm expecting him to have actual real reinforcements and some small battle will take place and someone will have to clean up after us. That's just how that works. No, I'm upset that I was told I ruined the mission. I've been beating my brains in trying to do something that will make these people accept me. I keep telling them I don't care, but I'm pretty sure that lie is falling apart," I prattle, eyes stinging again. And Nev hasn't even given me a single hint that she was listening. I feel myself breathing a little harder in panic.

"I already told you," she says finally, "Not to listen to what Logan says. He's not even really with SHIELD. His opinion is pretty low on the scale. Dad's happy with you, Coulson and Hill are looking for team jobs for you, which you never used to get. Those are the people that matter. Consider the source." I feel her press a kiss to my forehead.

Taking comfort in her touch, I squeeze my eyes closed and let myself sleep.

* * *

"Don't tell her how you found me," I say quietly to Peter. He shakes his head.

"I wasn't going to bring it up," he says. He'd found me gasping for air in a puddle of my own blood, curled up like some scared kid.

_Humiliating. Then again, Nev found you so drunk you could barely walk._

"We don't have to tell him that. We'll keep the humility to a minimum," I say. Peter tilts his head.

"Tell who what?" he asks.

"Nothing. There's a reason I smell like shame and self-loathing today," I say.

_Though we showered and washed the rest of the smells away, and with Nev and that was pretty nice. Right way to start the day._

"Or any day, really. Oh look, my favourite person," I say with a frown. Right as Logan walks up to us, Fury opens the door.

"You three, in here." Nev's already in the room, and comes over to me, checking me out like she's afraid something happened to me while I sat outside.

_Like a puppy who's greeting their human. She really is a lot like a puppy though._

I respond by putting an arm around her. Fury's gaze lands on us briefly before he motions for us to sit at the "You done goofed" table. He stands at one end, hands on the table, head bowed.

"I can't even give you an A for effort." He shakes his head. "So, since you seem so eager to get this going, I'll tell ya what. I hired you some new team mates!"

"I'm not really interested in group events unless the group is a large mob of pizza delivery men," I say, holding a hand up to get Fury's attention. Nev ribs me, giggling, making me smile but making him a little less patient.

"You're gonna be taking someone that has, for the last few years, been layin' kinda low," he continues.

"We already got Wilson, how much worse can it get than some dusty has-been," Logan spits.

"You would be wise to start acting a little less hateful towards Wilson. I hear he helped cleaned up one hell of a mess in your mansion," Fury says, smirking. Logan pouts, making me feel better. "Besides, I'm not sure you'll be too upset once you get to gettin'. You're taking Stark and Rogers, because I said so. You're taking Banner, because he said so. But you also get Beast and Syrin." He looks at us all. "Rag tag crew but you wouldn't believe how many people are afraid of that fella! It's almost like they think he can kill people!" Fury waves his hand at the door. "You handled the mansion, you can handle this. Meet in Coulson's team room at 9." Everyone heads to the door except for me. "What, Wilson?"

"Syrin? Are you serious? She hasn't been on the radar in years and now all of a sudden, 'Oh hey you and my kid, that's not good, better call in an old flame-'"

"She requested it! Why in the hell do you think I'd call her in? I don't even what the hell she does or what her name is! Logan started screamin' about how much he could use her…" he slowly stops yelling at me. "Ah. Well, she asked me and I took Logan's word. I don't know about stuff like this. Mission's all set. Good luck."

"Why didn't he seem to know who you meant, then?" I ask.

"I had a neat little list of people, told him I wasn't interested in some lady that screams. If I needed that, I'd grab Hill and Coulson during one of their little spats. He insisted so I went with her anyway. Go get ready." He shoos me away again. I slink out the door, watching Nev and Peter playing. She's got some fascination with taking parts of his ensemble and not giving them back. Now she has one of his web shooters.

"We have all of five hours to do whatever we want. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't actually want to spend it irritating Peter," I say. "So, you're free to go." He snatches the shooter back from Nev and races off, laughing at her as she makes a face at him. "Why the sudden fascination with tormenting him?"

"How do you think he made me laugh while we were separated?" she asks.

"He let you abuse him?" I say with a smile. She nods slowly.

"He dished it right back but I mean… Yeah, I hit him with various non-lethal objects and played 'Where's My Mask' with him on more than one occasion," Nev says proudly. I pull her to me to kiss her.

"I really love you."


	22. Tonight, The Longest Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tarom throw down is set.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Gaerna, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a line in Showdown by Electric Light Orchestra. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  
Author's Note; I am failballs with fight scenes. And I think I mighta made Terry OOC but she's a catalyst in the next chapter so whatever more failballs.

* * *

"It's alright," Nev says again as I stare at the closed door. I already heard her Irish accent, and I froze at the sound. "It's ok. Just say something pleasant, be yourself."

"Wait, which? I can't do both," I say, still staring at the door like it's going to eat me. "I really don't want to go in there."

"I know, you've said that about forty times in as many seconds," Nev says, still being patient with me. "Look at me."

_I can't look away from the doorway of doom._

"Wade. Look at me," she says, her hands taking mine. I do finally look at her, and I feel a little more relaxed. "It's just for a few hours. Two days at most. You're strong, you can do this. If I can ace advanced calculus with my ex two seats over, you can do this." I blink.

"Fury let you date?"

"No. I did anyway. Fella was a chode. Not the point here, Wade. Go do your job. You aren't a silly second grader. No drama bombs," she says not unkindly, patting my shoulder. "I'm going up to the Big Brother room, lots of cameras, if anything goes wrong I'll be able to see it and send someone with an excuse to get you out, ok?" She doesn't wait for an answer, just pecks my lips through my mask and hugs me before bounding off.

_I'm going through your witty comeback memory bank. Hang in there._

I slip in, and thank every deity she doesn't notice me. I slump into the chair next to Peter.

"You ok, Wade?" he asks quietly.

"Yes. Maybe. Not really," I mumble back, keeping my head down. "Why her?"

"Well, I know she knows. I think now that the word is out that the obnoxious Deadpool is being absorbed into actual proper teams, she wants to see it herself, especially since she's not seeing that fella anymore" he says. "You know she keeps tabs on you anyway."

'I do now. That's not creepy at all."

"You used to watch her sleep."

"How is that creepy? That's sweet, that's a gesture from the heart."

"You're really bad at this whole people thing aren't you?" I look away from him, and he sighs. "Sorry."

"I've been trying," I admit quietly. "Last night, Nev… kept me from going down some dark roads I didn't need to be on. I think I need to make her proud again and at the same time prove a lot of people wrong."

"…downstairs in the lobby, directive agents will be there to help out before we turn you lose to find this creep." Coulson dismisses us with a wave of his hand. Terry leaves with Logan, still failing to see me as I press myself against a wall.

"You missed a lot of details," Peter says.

"Why isn't anyone yelling at me?" I ask, fearing they expect me to fail the mission with or without instructions.

"Because even when you sleep through these meetings, you manage to out shine everyone," he tells me with a shrug. I follow him closely down to the lobby, trying to accept the fact that she's going to see me. As soon as Parker drifts away to talk to Stark and Rogers, sure enough she comes waltzing over to me.

"Wade, can we talk?" Stupid Irish accent.

_No. No we cannot. Go away._

"What could you possibly wanna talk to me about?" I growl.

"Yer seein' someone," Terry says, looking at me curiously.

"And you're surprised?" I ask defensively.

"Didn't think ye were interested in seein' anyone. Didn't really think ye had it in ye anymore," she says.

"Yep. Funny how that works, occasionally my emotions can heal, too. Thanks for the interest. Are we done?" I ask, wanting to just take this guy in and be done with it.

"I never apologized fer hurtin' you," she says. "And I truly am-"

"Are you sorry because you relate to the pain, because you know what you did to me was wrong on an emotional level, or because now you know I have someone who smiles when she sees me, whose eyes light up when she says my name, who intentionally spends her nights in my arms?" I shoot back.

"See, this is why I couldn't handle ye, yer so defensive about everythin'", Terry frowns. I just laugh, right in her face.

"And you don't see WHY? People like you have turned me into what I am." I straighten myself. "I can heal gunshots, stabs, limbs being sliced off. That kind of pain goes away. But the emotional pain? Very little of it can heal. I have someone now who's showering me with all kinds of emotional Neosporin, and it's starting to work."

"Ye have her at all, an' you should be happy," she says, looking irritated.

"Oh, believe me, I am. I haven't been this happy since, oh, since I thought I had a shot with you. You wandered off like you thought I wasn't capable of loving anything but myself or my job, or of being hurt when I lose someone. I'm incapable of dying, Terry, not of loving." She looks hurt now. Part of me rally doesn't care. "Not like you ever gave me a chance to prove it. I guess this I the part where I thank you for washing your hands of me, otherwise it's possible I wouldn't be with Nev now. Remember all those years back, on the baseball field? You walked away from me when I needed you the most, after everything we'd been through and everything I'd done for you. Nev's seen some dark sides of me in the, what, two weeks we've known each other? Enough to scare anyone off, but not her."

"Wade-"

"Nope. Done talking. I want to go home and we haven't even started yet. Let's just get going already." When I turn to leave the building I see I've attracted a number of gawkers. I don't care. I muscle through them and stand outside, waiting for some kind of directions.

_You have like 20 minutes yet. You'll be out here for a while._

"I didn't plan that very well," I say. "I hope I drove that home though." I hear the door open and someone step out. I grab my sword and turn to threaten whoever it is, but I'm parried by steel claws.

"Take it easy, Wilson." I narrow my eyes at Logan. I don't trust him and certainly don't want him here. "I was… impressed, with your little tantrum."

"Right, right, because I'm supposed to be the kill happy, love free Deadpool, right?" I sneer. Logan just stares at me.

"I knew you when you were with Vanessa. You kinda seem to forget that," he says flatly.

"And you seem to forget exactly how intense that relationship was," I say. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be so shocked – Actually, why does anyone even care? Christ it's like I'm in some kind of reality show I wasn't told about!"

"It ain't you, bub. It's you and her. Fury's kid, everyone knows about her. Math an' science an' hacks, Stark an' Banner love her to pieces, an' she's treated like glass by Fury. Why do ya think we had a God damned MEETING about if you should get to show her the ropes?" he asks, crossing his arms.

_Rhetorical, don't answer that._

"I know it's rhetorical." I rub my eyes through my mask. I'm actually really tired. I don't want to do this. I keep saying that, every time I go out to fight, and I do it anyway. "You know what the best thing is about her? She doesn't put me down. She's never said anything degrading to me. Instead she pushes me to be a better man and less the man that everyone else seems to think I've become."

"No pressure, but don't start lettin' her down now." I hear him walk back inside. Someone's walked outside as he walked in. I press the heels of my hands into my eyes. "Whoever you are, go away." I feel the someone's arms slip around my middle from behind. "Well thanks for the hug, Petey." I know it isn't him. But Nev giggles and that was my goal.

"Your blades make doing this very awkward," she says. I turn around to hug her properly. "I know I'm not going with you, but I wasn't kidding about the cameras. We have very limited audio, right this second none at all, but body language is pretty loud. I figured the least I could do was see you off since you've got like, what, 15 minutes and you're off to prove your heroism." I feel my body tense.

"I'm no hero. I think I proved that last-" She pulls back enough to put her finger over my mouth.

"Stop. Don't worry about it." Since her hand is already at my face, she rolls my mask up enough to kiss me. I don't know what to do with my hands. I feel like a stupid teenager getting his first kiss. Her shoulders, her face, and it's her waist where I finally set them, digging my fingertips into her hips. "You'll be fine. Better than fine. Heroic." I smile sadly and duck my head so she can't look at me. Not even at my mask.

"I can't be a hero," I tell her quietly.

"You already are. Just… Go out there and prove your hero title to everyone else, ok?" Her expression is killing me. I'd never forgive myself if I let her down again.

* * *

"You don't even know if this will work," Terry says.

"It should, how could he resist the chance to kill the most famous mutant of all?" Stark asks. "So, throw yourself on the ground and flail around. Screaming like a girl should help."

"He doesn't have to degrade himself," Steve says with a frown.

_He does that well enough on his own anyway._

"Yeah it isn't like you need to tell him to do it," I say, actually kind of looking forward to this.

"So, when he comes in, Siryn, I need you to stun him. Get his back to the sound dishes and go for it. This way he'll be bombarded from both the front and the back. This will short his brain out without damaging it or his hearing," Bruce explains.

"The dishes are set. I have dampeners and amplifiers set to protect us and increase his stress respectively," Beast says. I just yawn. No one even said anything about my stab at Logan. Peter gives my shoulder a nudge.

"Huhwhat?" He offers his can of energy drink at me. "No. Ugh. Nev likes Monsters too, they're vile. It didn't help that she described them as tasting like carbonated grape Tylenol."

"They do, they take some getting used to. But I like them," he shrugs.

"No. They're foul and should be burned alongside most of today's bubblegum pop music," I frown.

"Beast, get ready. We need you to act like you're seriously trying to hurt him, then run off when Peter steps in. Peter, act surprised that two mutants are-" I cut Bruce off.

"This won't work. This plan sounds like a five year old made it up," I argue suddenly.

"It's your plan!" Bruce says, exasperated.

"Oh, that's why it's terrible, then. Why did you agree to it?"

"'Cause he's bound to notice two mutants tryin'a kill each other, if he can blow us up by pittin' us against each other, he's gonna," Logan says.

"If he's noticing this, he's going to notice we're doing this as a trap," I say flatly. I'm met with silence. I hop down from the ledge I'd perched myself on and land on Logan, swinging at him.

"What the hell, Wilson?!" he yells, shoving me. His claws come out, and I smile. I do know what I'm doing.

"Maybe you're the one we shouldn't have brought. I mean, you're following my plan? Idiot. We don't need idiots on the team,' I taunt. Logan growls at me and rushes in, claws swinging wildly. Beast steps between us, but I use the opportunity and crack him over the head with the butt of my pistol.

_Come on Peter, follow my lead. We're friends, friends do stupid shit like this together._

But he's just watching. Of course, little pacifist.

"What are ye doin'? Save it fer-"

"For what? Or… who?" Tarom has appeared very suddenly. My colleagues are still trying to scramble around and save the plan but I know it isn't going to work now.

"Wilson get back-" Logan is cut off by one of Tarom's lackeys.

"Don't forget that I know at least two of you can't die. You can watch as I kill your mutant friends first. And I'll do something for you, just so you don't feel left out. Get you all comfy where you can die, over and over." He's smiling and I don't like it. I lunge at him, swinging almost blindly in a rage I can't seem to keep in check but God damn, he's evasive. I hear Logan curse behind me and Steve's Frisbee narrowly misses my head. Tarom just moves slightly and avoids it. Tony steps in, working with me to herd him into position. Terry screams-

_Yep, still hurts._

-and as soon as Tarom has dropped to his knees, Bruce leaps in, already Hulked out, and pins him to the ground. Beast moves to his side, to help apprehend the bastard. But he is fast. Very fast. His reflexes are better than T'Challa's. He weasels away and looks past us. Behind us. He laughs. I turn around in time to see Steve pitch forward.

_You said you expected an army._

"I did. There they are." I tilt my head, looking around to see how many of them are here. I reach for the comm device on my belt. "Hey, you guys live in there?"

"Yep. You need back up." Fury says flatly. "Incoming. Hold 'em off for another seven minutes or so." I sigh and shake my head. Tony's already got Steve back on his feet, Hulk is playing baseball with whoever he can get his hands on, whatever he bats off gets mangled by Beast. Genius plan but still looks funny and I have to laugh just a little. I find Logan and just sort of appear at his side, to help.

"Didja radio in?" he asks, holding himself with his back to mine.

"Yeah. We got help coming in." Tarom is flitting around, attacking everyone all at once. "He didn't say who. I'm assuming ranged DPS though."

"Playin' too many damn video games," Logan grumbles.

"Your thing just got less interesting," I tell him, spotting Tarom as he tries to slink off. I give chase, and I hear another set of feet behind me.

"You aren't going alone," Peter says quietly, trying not to let Tarom notice us. "Any idea where he's going?"

"Nada. But I'm not going to let him get away," I say quietly.

"This is the way to the school," Peter says a little breathlessly. "Hey, you guys still there? Get the helicarrier to the school. Wade and I are tracking Tarom, that seems to be where he's going," he radios in.

"Gonna redirect reinforcements to the school, not gonna waste man power on the damned peons," Fury grumbles back. We zig zag around the city, following close and discreet, til Tarom vaults over the fence and lands in the school yard.

"Oh, Deadpool! Spider-Man! Come on out, children!" he calls, tauntingly. Peter grabs both my arms to keep me from biting the bait. "I know you've been following me!" He laughs. "I've set my own trap, if you were curious…"

Terry and Stark arrive first, both using their powers – or suit, in Tony's case – to knock him back. He makes a sweeping gesture with one arm and many of his own reinforcements crawl out. Peter lets me go and actually follows me in. The scene is stilled by the arrival of the helicarrier and several smaller crafts. I laugh excitedly and can't resist the childish impulse to run around with my arms out. Beast shakes his head at me as Terry grabs my wrist to stop me.

"Hopefully our backup is a little more professional," he says. Rope ladders and just plain ropes drop down and our own troops start pouring in. With the arrival of our original team, I think we have a fair chance. I spot Logan duck into the building, likely to corral the students into somewhere a little safer. But both sides are ready to throw down. Squaring off and sizing each other up.

_You guessed a mini war. Here you go. Hope you've got a plan._


	23. Down With The Heroes Before Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade makes a very serious sacrifice.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Gaerna, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.**  
The chapter title is a line in the song Too Late For Gods, by the band AFI. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.  


* * *

Fancy footwork, fancier knifework, still can't hit him. Everyone's going after the larger targets, physically larger. But I'm tunneling on Tarom.

"You haven't hit me once," he tells me, calmly, as if the fight isn't even happening. "Your team could really use you, by the way. I'm not even really the biggest threat here."

"Nah, pretty sure you are. You have a whole army at your disposal but you're a bit like a zombie – destroy the brain and watch the body crumple. I know what I'm doing," I answer with a shrug.

 _These blades are getting you nowhere_.

"Not like the daggers would be any better." He smirks as he kites me around. I curse at myself for not being better. I stop and act like I'm tired – I'm not – but he runs off a bit and seems content that he's lost me. He focuses on something else, so I go for my guns and take aim. The fucker can't possibly dodge bullets, right?

_No, but he can stay glued to friendly targets. Friendly fire is not the kind of 'way to the heart' you need right now._

More cursing. I join the group in cutting down his army, thwarting various attempts to get into the school, or to blast it to pieces. They are getting a few good wallops in, but not enough to destroy it. Slowly, very slowly, when the sky is just barely starting to threaten at sun up, they start faltering. It's a little sudden but even Tarom notices. So I gun for him again.

"Movin' a little slower there, Tarom. What's wrong, long night?" I ask. "Let me run a blade through you. I promise, you won't feel anything." Much to my surprise and, really, his too, I manage to graze the side of his thigh with a well-aimed bullet. My last one. But while I'm standing there in shock, he swings a kick at me and I'm not fast enough, he catches my jaw and sends me back.

"Peter! Logan! Someone! I hit him! Focus fire Tarom!" I call, hoping someone hears. They all do, or most do. Dashing through the obstacle course of bodies, they give chase, Terry causing him to falter every few strides. I move to intercept him, one last plan running through my head.

_This might actually kill you._

"Nah, I been beheaded, bled out, vicious brain cancer… I can live through this," I reason.

_You're going to blow yourself into confetti._

"I've hugged a grenade before. No biggie. I can do this." Tarom has put great distance between him and my side of the fight, sending what peons remain to slow them further. So he's watching them when I manage to pounce on him, tackle him to the ground. I stab a blade through his shoulder, into the ground, keeping him down. I hear my team come up as he screeches in pain. "STAY BACK. Stay back! I can't have you all getting hurt. Not a very heroic thing, friendly fire…" Tarom looks at the grenade. He struggles again, and I know how easily he gets away so I stab through his other shoulder before going for the comm device again.

"Nev? You there, liebe?" I hold my breath as I wait.

"I'm here. Are you coming back?" she asks hopefully. I close my eyes, but still pistol whip Tarom as he struggles again.

"No. I don't… Nev, I need you to tell me you love me." All attention on me as I keep an exhausted Tarom in check and beg my love for reassurance.

"Of course I do. What… What's going on?" she asks, sounding terrified and calm all at once. I know she can see me. I'm trying to keep the grenade at an angle where she can't possibly see it.

"I need you to say it," I plead again quietly.

"I love you, Wade."

"I love you, too."

Tarom knows. He knows now that I've put the comm away I'm going to do it. They told us to kill him if that was what we needed to do. I can hear Peter starting to scream about killing, Terry too and that hurts. My ears, not my heart. And Tarom throws me off of him, rips my swords from his shoulders and tries to turn them on me. I let him run me through, to get close to him. To get in his face. I press so close to him our noses touch, and I grin at him under my mask.

"Coward. You've done nothing but dodge and evade and run. And no deaths here tonight, or at all as far as we can tell, were executed directly by your hands. Got someone else doing your dirty work. Your hands are clean, right? Must be exhausting, forcing yourself to believe that garbage. I do it, so, I'd know all about that. Let me help ya get that weight off your mind," I growl at him

And, holding the grenade between our chests, I pull the pin.

* * *

**Tiny chapters and cliff hangers are not like me. But It'll just work better this way.**


	24. You Are (Not) Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, no one knows how to treat Wade after he sustains major injuries.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Garona, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is the first film from the Neon Genesis Rebuild movie series. I am not affiliated with the animation or production company in any way and hold no rights to the show or films.**

* * *

Nev is standing over me, looking down at me. She doesn't look happy to see me. She looks... Angry. Hateful.

"I hate you. They all hate you, too. You were lying. Incapable of love and incapable of feeling anything other than that perverted joy of killing someone. You disgust me." She wrinkles her nose as she walks away from me. I try to stand to follow her, but my limbs feel heavy. Too heavy to move. I try to call to her but my throat tightens. Someone slaps me.

"You're going to let her walk away too? Just like you let me! You didn't even bother chasing me!" Vanessa?! "I wanted you to argue and follow me and beg me to come back! You didn't even act like you were hurt! What are you, some kind of heartless moron?" I still can't speak. But I manage to move just enough to curl in on myself, burying my face in my arms.

"Ye brainless waste. What are ye doin'? You sit aroun' an' do nothin', then ye try an' kill yerself. Ye can't do anything right. I'm grateful I walked away when I did," Terry says hotly.

"You let him get away, now you try an' kill yourself to prove a point no one asked ya about. You didn't think of anyone but yourself and your God damned 'self-validation' bullshit," Logan growls. "I told you not to let her down. You did it anyway."

Faces, words, short memories start flashing at me. I try to dig the heels of my hands into my eyes, try to make everything disappear. Vanessa and me making love, Terry begging me not to kill Killbew.

"No! Stop! I don't want these memories anymore, don't make me remember…" I curl up tighter in myself. And it gets very cold very fast.

"Wade, my darling. You need to get up," Death says gently.

"No, they wouldn't lie, and all I've ever heard from them was how useless I am, how no one could ever care about me, they're right and I'm just going to accept it. I'm probably just going to die here anyway, so what does it matter? What's the point of me?!" I sob to Death. I feel her hand on my shoulder and immediately start trying to put distance between us. She ignores it, just smiles.

"Perhaps you should ask Nev that when you return to her."

* * *

"Wade! WADE! Where are ya, ya idyit!" My head. My chest. My everything. "Wade…" Someone's running to me. A few someones. I try to open my eyes, that was a female voice, was it… just Terry. My vision is little better than a Monet painting, but I know her when I see her. She holds me to her to stop me from thrashing and I close my eyes again. Some sharp pieces of rubble are digging into my back but I can't move. Someone's trying to reattach my left arm which I wasn't aware was missing. Too much bombarding me.

_Can we just sleep it off?_

"Then the grenade ripped my leg off and threw it over there," I force weakly, trying to wave in a random direction.

"God Damnit Wade. What the hell were you thinking?" Peter asks, sounding incredibly angry with me as he holds my arm up, waiting for it to stick.

"Can't dodge a grenade on your chest. I was killing him. I think it worked. That arm's not gonna stick, by the way." When I look over at it, I notice my abdomen is open and some things are having trouble staying in. "I think I may have really done it this time," I mumble. "Just leave me."

_What about Nev?_

"She can do better." I feel Terry drop me, and my head smacks against whatever jabby thing I'm lying against.

"I saw ya with 'er, out there after ya hollered at me an' stormed off," Terry says hotly as I rub my head. "We're takin' ya back."

"Leave me here and tell her I almost made it," I say flatly. Beast appears with my leg. One of them anyway. Peter's got my arm starting to grow back onto me, and he's stepped aside so Bruce can try to shove everything back into me. For healing. All of it hurts. Beast isn't very tender in his leg reattachment work, and I'm embarrassed at the pained noise that escapes me.

"We ain't leavin' ya here. Someone else would just carry you back if we didn't," Logan grumbles. I try to see if anyone else is here, cracking my eyes open again. Peter, Logan, Bruce, Beast, Terry. That's it. Them and a lot of dead bodies.

"We should leave you, you… You… I keep telling you not to kill people! I knew one day you'd get so desperate you'd do something stupid like this!" Peter shouts at me.

_Is this what a hangover feels like? Ugh. Headache. Stop shouting._

'Ye need ta go back, fer her. She needs ya, ye need her." I blink heavily and stare at her.

"Why does anyone care now anyway?" I ask weakly. I'm met with silence. "Oh Christ, it isn't even about me is it? It's about Nev and getting in with Fury isn't it?"

"No. It isn't about anything other than the fact that we aren't heartless monsters, despite how we've treated you in the past. For which, we apologise," Beast says. Logan grunts. "The inability to admit any wrong doing seems to be forcing silence on our colleagues." I look over at Peter.

"Nah, Parker's actually ok. We fight but I think that's what friends do. If you don't fight your best friend til you're both about to die, you aren't close enough," I say, feeling light headed. It's getting kind of hard to breathe.

"Hey, you ok? You look a little off, even for you," Bruce says, frowning with might actually be concern.

"Not enough blood in me. Not really making an effort to make more." My voice sounds shallow.

"Everythin' ya yelled at me, don' ye believe any of it? That wasn't just show," Terry says. "I'm givin' you an' Guinevere the chance I never gave us."

_Her name sounds really neat in Irish._

I try to weakly protest as they set about trying to get me up. Nev can do better than someone who's selfish and a little stupid and reckless and maybe doesn't play well with others. Everyone thinks it.

"How long til we go back to you all trying to get me killed?" I ask, eyes closing again as they carry me away from the school.

"We won't." Peter's voice is very final. "What you did here today, while I disagree with all the killing, was the final stitch in some metaphor describing everything you've done lately."

_Am I part of the crew?_

"Part of the crew, part of the ship," I mumble with a smile.

"Save it for Guinevere. We're taking you back to her. Hang in there," Bruce says reassuringly.

Everything just blurs from here on out. Getting dragged out of the school yard, some jet like thing landing to take us off, buildings out the window. I don't even really come to much when I'm ushered off the jet (was that the Black Bird?) and into the building. Not until I hear the words "med bay" and "psych evaluation". I start fighting again.

"Hang on, you can't you do that, he can't go through that," Peter argues. I plant my feet but get pulled along, the heels of my boots resisting the whole way.

"No, no more doctors, no more cutting me open," I beg.

"Peter, go find Guinevere," Bruce says. All I register is her name and look through the sea of people, trying to find her. I manage to break away, everyone's suddenly in surgeon garb, the masks, the white gowns, I'm not letting them do this to me again. I still don't see her. Someone grabs my arms and I'm not lucid enough to see their face.

"Get offa me! I'm not gonna let you test on me!" I scream.

"Easy, bub. We're gonna wait there for Guinevere, and we'll go from there," Logan says. "No one's gonna jab at ya or cut ya open." I can feel myself shaking as I stand there, still scanning the faces in the hallway for her. People are coming and going, receiving us and looking us over and I don't know what they're looking for.

"Yeah I'm fine, ol' Wade over there, 'e could use a friendly face. Ya seen Fury, or Guinevere?" Terry's asking.

"They should be here soon, Fury forgot to add the 'no med bay' tag on his file. Or maybe I did. Whatever the case, he's coming to sort it out," Coulson tells her. I'm being dragged along again, Logan now guiding me to the med bay.

"Logan, you went through this too, you know how awful it was, don't let 'em do any more tests on me," I plead, trying to pull away.

"Not those kinda tests. You were hallucinating, pretty bad, you were lashin' out and everything. Much as you could, anyway. Just gonna keep you overnight, it's SHIELD, it ain't-" I cut him off.

"I don't care who it is, I don't want any doctors, please, let me go, I'm fine," I argue.

"In a case this extreme, we need to make sure he's going to mentally recover. Just a few hours of observations and some minor tests-" I cut the guy off by straining to free myself from Logan and go at him, kill him if I have to. I get one arm free and go for my sais, grabbing one and trying to go for the guy's throat. Logan wrestles me back into grip, forces me down onto one of those God damned gurneys. And the fucking straps are out and I'm absolutely going to lose it.

"No killin' people! No one's gonna hurt you but you, if you don't stop!" Logan says almost angrily.

"No one is gonna be killin' anyone!" Fury yells.

_Is Nev with him? Who cares, he can get us out of here and to her if she isn't. Kiss his ass._

"Unless you try to keep Agent Wilson in any med bay, you're on your own then. He can kill the whole lot of you and I'm not gonna stop him." He stands with his arms crossed as silence falls over the little area we're in. "We got it from here. I don't give a good God damn about your damn procedures and your paper work, take it up with Agent Hill. And Coulson, stop lookin' at me like that, I'll take the heat." Fury looks at everyone. "I'm takin' him with me. Go back to all the other agents that CAN'T self-heal." He's glaring at all the faces as he ushers me out of the medical hall and towards the lift. I'm still trying to calm down, but even Fury looks like a doctor. It starts to fade as I follow him off the lift and into the hallway.

"You'd look weird in medical garb. Maybe teal just isn't your colour," I tell him, still shaking, still trying to breathe. "Why are we going-"

"So I can talk to you myself. Anyone else is gonna put you in a cold little room with a mirror and grill you and you're gonna hafta go through psych eval before that. Me? Just gonna ask you a couple major questions, and you'll be the first one of the mission outta here." He gestures at the seats across from his desk.

_This would be a lot easier if we knew where Nev was._

"Of course it would be," I say, voice still shaking. I can hear my breathing speed up again. Fury's waiting. I don't look at him, but I nod.

"All I want to do is briefly sum up what happened. You killed Tarom, correct? And none of the major property damages, of which there were many, were caused by you, correct?" Fury asks, making notes without even so much as looking at me.

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to actually let me answer those questions," I tell him. He stops and looks up at me, over the top of the papers.

"You wanna get out of here? You wanted out of the dog house, here you go, off the hook. Shut up and let me pretend like I'm askin' you anything," he says slowly, like he's not irritated with me but I'm sure he is.

"Where's Nev?" I ask, breaking the thick silence.

"Last I saw she was in the computer security room, practicing her hacks with her headphones on. She thinks you actually did it. We all kinda did," Fury says. His hand hesitates, then writes again.

"I hallucinated that she was mad at me. Disgusted with me," I tell him. I hug myself. He shrugs.

"Ain't your psychologist, Wilson. Wanna go back to the med bay?" Fury asks, almost annoyed now. I look at my boots. "Was a pretty selfish thing to do though. Tryin'a sac yourself like that when there are people who want you around. Who need your help." I snort.

"No one needs me. They keep saying that," I grumble. He drops the papers heavily onto his desk.

"And I'M sayin' that half the stuff you've done lately has been the sole reason we've gotten as far as we have! You wanna argue with them til you're blue in the face, that's fine with me, but they don't see half the God damned paper work I do, half the analytical bull shit I hafta sort through regarding how the mission was approached and ultimately executed." He's raised his voice. "I'M sayin' that we need you, and at the end of the day it's MY vote that counts!" He must have noticed that I've recoiled from him a bit, and he sighs and leans back in his chair. "Go on. She'll be happy to learn you didn't actually succeed in dying." I stand, and start to leave.

"Should I sign something, or maybe answer an actual question?" I ask before reaching for the door.

"Sure, sure. Answer this. Do you have a plan if she doesn't forgive you?" he asks. "Gonna try to drink it away?" I stiffen at his words. "'Cause she was awfully worried about ya."

"If she doesn't want anything to do with me after this, I guess I'll go back to what I was doing before Peter started dragging me into SHIELD mission. Nothing wrong with sitting around in your boxers watching Golden Girls, right?" With fear in my heart, I set out to find Nev.


	25. News Of My Crash Won't Pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade gets back to Nev and recovers. I rewrote it a little. Cuz reasons.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Gaerna, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is an altered lyric by the band AFI. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

My cohorts are hanging around on the floor that the security room is on (where Nev is practicing, assuming she's still there). I know they can't leave the building for another 36 hours, but I didn't expect to see them here.

_Turn and leave, they haven't even seen you yet. Just go home._

"Wilson, hang on," Rogers says. I cringe, and stop and let everyone gather around me. I still feel a defensive and graze my fingers over my pistol. "I wanted to thank you, for your work last night. You saved a lot of people."

"I killed a lot too. Pretty much still a mindless killing machine," I say. "Can I go please?"

"You're not. You're part of our team now," he says with a smile.

"I am, though. That's all I've heard all my life. I believe it now. I wouldn't have done it if I thought my life was worth anything," I laugh sadly. "Now you're all just being nice to me because I flipped my shit at Red and tried to kill myself with a grenade. Soon as we get back into routine, things'll start back up between us and I'll be a grimace and a 'Oh, that's just Deadpool.' I'm like the Moon Moon of SHIELD."

"Stop tryin'a be a martyr, Wilson. We're tryin'a be nice-" Logan starts.

"Trying, yeah, I know. I'm glad everyone heard what I said yesterday. Nev's known me what, three weeks? Two? She's more accepting than any of you. Mutants who've been chastised and discriminated against most of your lives and you still can't have a single shred of empathy for me. 'Cept you, Hulky, and even you had to learn it from Stark which is hi-LARIOUS, because he's the definition of self-absorbed. And not even a targeted mutant so there's that too." Everyone looks a little dumbfounded.

"Do you not want us to accept you?" Tony asks finally. I shrug.

"I'm so used to you not accepting me that I don't care anymore. I figure even if you do, you'll just turn on me again," I say, and bully past them to get to the other side of this floor. The lights in the room are mostly dark when I reach the room, but Nev is there, intently watching the screen. I watch her for a moment, hoping she isn't going to be angry. I push the door open, and she looks up. If she hadn't jumped up and rushed me, I likely would have done it to her.

"I'm torn between not letting you go and killing you," she murmurs as she hugs me very close to her. I hold onto her in return.

_Holding on? You're clinging. Like a koala._

"I can't die. I'd know, I just did my best attempt at it," I tell her.

"I know. You scared me. Idiot," she murmurs into my neck, not unkindly. She moves a hand to my head, cradling it against hers. The panic and nightmare hallucinations are fading from my immediate memory as I relax against her.

"I told them to leave me there. I was really sure I was going to die. I didn't want you to see that," I tell her. She sighs quietly.

"Idiot," she says again. "You aren't allowed to do any of that dying stuff even if it was possible. This may be difficult to get used to, but you have someone who demands your return now."

"I know. That's why I'm grateful they didn't listen to me," I answer, starting to kiss whatever skin I can reach.

"Did you at least thank them?" she asks, tilting her head sideways for me.

"No. I yelled at them," I say without giving it a lot of thought, more interested in kissing her than talking about it.

"Gosh dangit. C'mon, this can wait just a bit longer." She steps back and runs her hands over my arms, down to my hands which she holds and starts to lead me out of the room. "You have to play nice."

"I don't trust them," I say flatly as she drops my hands. I'm just following her because…

_Why are we doing this? No one's ever held this much sway over us._

"Because it feels right." She looks at me.

"Saying you appreciate them taking care of you? It should. Time to get integrated!" she says.

"They'll probably stick a brain slug on me," I grumble.

"No they won't. After this, we'll go get dinner. Lunch. Whatever time it is," she bribes. I keep dragging myself along behind her.

"Only 'cause I could really go for some pizza. I regret revealing to you that food bribes work on me," I say, noting how whiney I sound. She stops.

"You're embarrassed." I don't answer her or even want to see her expression. "It's fine. They aren't evil monsters that want you dead. They saved you. Tell 'em thanks, say you've got stuff to do, and we're gone." She's stopped us at Fury's office and has gone in, leaving me standing in the hallway like an idiot.

"Everyone who has to stay, where are they? Gathered in a room having a LAN party?" Nev asks him.

"Twenty third floor debriefing room. Why? Wanna tell 'em thanks for saving your thick-headed almost-hero?" he asks. I don't know if he's aware I can hear him. Nev sighs at him.

"No. I'm going to make him at least pretend like he wants to be part of their little clique," she says. He snorts.

"Good luck." Her expression shows her displeasure as she leaves the room.

_On the bright side, in playing nice you can now prove Fury wrong. The actual heroes get their egos stroked, Fury looks like a fool. Ok, we are feeling better about this!_

"Wade. Come over to the 23rd floor. It is your destiny," she says, gesturing to the elevator.

"I've never actually watched any of those films all the way through," I admit, walking with her. She shrugs.

"Me either. My sci-fi interest begins and ends with Doctor Who," she explains with a nod. Her fingers lace with mine as we stand in the lift, and her hand squeezes as we step off, and she tugs when I stop outside the room. She stands patiently with me, waiting til I've worked up the courage and let go of the shame enough to enter the room. Of course, everyone notices and is silent as they all look at me like I'm here to kill them.

"So that's why you were in a hurry to run off," Steve offers with a smile.

_If he doesn't bring it up, don't do it yourself._

"Uh, yeah. Hard mission and all, kinda just wanted to let her know I'm ok," I lie slowly. "Fury personally debriefed me already."

"Hard mission? Wouldn'ta been if you hadn't-"

"If you hadn't done that, it's possible we wouldn't be here now, alive," Peter cuts Logan off, catching on to what Steve's trying to do. I feel Nev's hands slide into mine again as I try to fish for something to say that won't get me shot.

"Glad you came back. We do actually want to thank you. You know, treat you like the member of the team that you are," Stark says, leaning back and putting his shoes on the table. "I mean, you get special treatment, you get to leave early but- Ow!" Banner's jabbed him in the side.

"Go on, Wilson. Your night was a little bit harder than ours, you deserve to go home a little early," he offers gently. Syrin hasn't said anything, thankfully, but I do catch the intent stare she's got on Nev, who has now linked her arm with mine.

"Thanks for dragging him back here," Nev adds.

"He's stubborn, but there's only one of him versus what, five of us, equally as stubborn?" Steve jokes.

"Yeah. I'll thank you all by ordering you some food from Cotija's and eating it for you," I say, trying to back out of the room.

"We take care of our own," Beast says almost… with a friendly tone.

_This feels weird. Get out of here before they burst into a conga line singing Disney songs._

Nev walks out with me, and is still holding my hand as we reach the ground level and make for the doors.

"See. That wasn't so bad," she says.

"Yeah but you know every time someone tells you 'Oh this won't hurt' or 'It'll be over before you know it', that shit's always a lie," I say. "I had good reason not to trust you. Grown-ups lie about that and all the other age groups are starting to learn the same game." Nev chuckles as she settles in the passenger seat of the company vehicle. We'd left it here the night I got plastered, and here it was still waiting for us. "Are you really horribly starving? Because I really just want to go home and maybe sleep for a week."

"I'm not starving, no," she replies. "Sleep sounds like a great plan. Soon as you let that stupid grenade off - which you did a piss poor job trying to hide, might I add - I shut myself up in the practice room. I'd been testing for probably two or three hours when you finally showed up." She lets her hair down as I pull onto the street to get us home. It nearly reaches her waist, but she usually has it up. I like it down better.

I also like it when she pulls me into the house and down the hall to bed, when she strips down to her skivvies, when she gets into bed with me and our skin touches in so many places. Specifically, I like feeling the skin of her throat under my lips. And the catch in her breath tells me she does, too. More than anything, I like being able to mutually exchange such intimate affection without it leading to anything beyond just reveling in each other's company. She bows her head after several minutes of such affection being exchanged between us, nuzzling her face to my chest and curling against me.

"Tired? We've been up at least 24 hours," I ask her, voice barely above a whisper.

"Mm," is all I receive, and I know she's already half asleep. I pull the blanket up over us more, we'd again forgotten the heater but it should be ok.

_Even if she isn't, you're radiating enough heat to keep that from being an issue._

I kiss the top of her head to keep from answering the voice. I don't want to wake her. I instead join her in sleep.

* * *

"No wait, where am I going?"

"Stop, you're going the wrong way."

"What's this guy even look like?"

"He's flying, you can't miss him! Between the billowing cape, the fire he's shooting out of his eyes – damn it Wade just follow the destruction."

"But we've been chasing him forever!"

"He wouldn't have been so difficult to catch if Tony hadn't-"

"Hadn't what, made a big announcement that we were here, Captain Loudmouth?"

"Hey, found him!" I leap-frog over Tony, using the momentum to land on our D list bad guy. I don't know who he is.

_If that's the case, he won't last long. No name? No fame._

"Yeah, short lived super villain career," I answer.

"Wh- *choke wheeze* what are you *cough* talking about?" my target gasps out. I practice my right hook on his jaw.

"Wade, take it easy, we need him alive," Steve calls. I look over my shoulder at him.

"He can be alive and missing some teeth, right?" I ask. Tony pulls me off and Steve helps the guy up. "What are you supposed to be anyway? Cape and fire eyebeams? Pretty lame." The guy tries to answer but it sounds a lot like gibberish.

_Looks like you broke his jaw. Probably in a couple places._

"It isn't my fault he ran into my fist," I say.

"Stop punching people who aren't resisting," Steve reprimands, though his voice is still kind. "Tony, get him to the mansion, I know the fire beams will be of interest to them. Maybe they can help him. I'm going to get the injured out of here."

"Good plan." Stark hoists the guy's broken body over his shoulder. "Meet you back at SHIELD," he says to me with a wave. He can still fly around carrying a guy, and that's exactly what he does.

Walking isn't bad. Tones the gluts.

"I'm not Jillian Michaels here," I grumble, starting off towards the building. We weren't really all that far away from it, and the walk back to the building is short. It's pushing Christmas, so my only complaint is the cold. I don't like holidays. I act like I do, I go over board with it. But they're not something I like participating in. Maybe because I'm usually alone. Maybe because the Christmas music-

"The next person to rig Christmas music into the PA system will be chemically castrated by one of the newbies! And no, none of our doctors will be around to assist you!" Hill screams. The music has stopped. I start for the lift, but it opens and dispenses one Peter Parker before I can get on.

"You here about Fire Eyes?" he asks.

"Is that what you're calling him? Sounds like a bad porn name," I say, laughing. Peter frowns.

"Then what do you suggest?" he asks.

"I dunno, The Flying Moron? The Toothless Pyro?" I shrug. "I don't really care, but we aren't using Fire Eyes." He points behind me, at the doors.

"That way. This is being transferred to the mansion and the school, he's mutant and possibly one of the escapees. We aren't sure yet," he says as he starts walking past me towards the exit. I turn and follow.

"Why are you going?" I prod. He zips his coat up.

"I offered to help. I have nothing going on, this place gets very quiet around the holidays. Right now, there's this fool and the clean up at the school. Most of the de… the fallen have been given proper treatment. The building is getting rebuilt, the damage was pretty extensive. He had a pretty formidable army. What I don't think we were aware of was that he had plants, in the school. He had two in the mansion, that was how he got in," Peter rambles.

"Why would he put a Ficus in the school?" I ask, confused. Peter sighs.

"No, not that kind of plant," he says, shaking his head.

"Wait a sec, why am I going? My job is done, I caught the guy. Game over, go home, get dinner, stuff like that," I protest, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Peter stops too, looking back at me. He just shrugs.

"It would look good. I know you're anxious to get back to Nev but do some PR work. She'll understand, and you'll make her AND everyone else happy with your willingness to help," he explains.

_Maybe we should try doing that thing where we trust him and listen to him._

"Last time we listened to Parker we sent four people to the burn ward," I say out loud.

"It wasn't meant to be taken literally," Peter says, smiling at the memory, likely only because no one was seriously injured. He's looking at me like he's simply waiting for me to start walking again.

_You can come home later tonight and tell Nev what you did, and she will be happy. Let's do dis!_

And I actually feel kind of good about this as I retake my place at Peter's side and follow him to the X Mansion.


	26. Higher Than High, Lower Than Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade almost feels like a team member, Nev loves him anyway.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Garona, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a line from the song Twilight Galaxy by Metric. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

Everyone's running around like they've never had this happen ever. I turn to Peter.

"Why the panic?" I ask. "So they found a guy who may be a mutant. Why is this an issue?" He shakes his head.

"They really aren't ready. I know the mansion's still unusable so anything they need to do, they have to do here," he says. "And I don't think they have the tools."

_Wolverine with a tool box full of rainbow plastic kid's tools._

I laugh at the mental image, earning a funny look from Peter. I wave a hand at him dismissively. He shrugs as we wind our way down into the school.

"Logan said they'd be working with him, in one of the assessment rooms. They want to know about his powers, when he got them, how, that sort of thing. He may have already been on file, but they lost like half their databank information," he explains. I nod.

"The boring stuff," I say flatly. He frowns but nods. We find the room and walk in, and of course Logan gives me an ugly look. Storm puts a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"What are you doin' here?" he growls. He's standing behind Hank, watching a computer screen.

"Peter told me to come help out. Here I thought I'd come over and we'd have a buncha fun trying to do whatever you guys are trying to do, but if you're gonna be all Wolvie-Pissy-Pants-" Peter slaps his hand over my mouth.

"He's here to help. I'll keep him quiet… quieter than normal, just give us a job," he babbles quickly. I glare at him, but don't fight him. Logan grunts.

"Peter, assist Oro. Wade will stay with us, I'm sure Logan would prefer if he could keep an eye on him," Hank says without looking away from the screen before him.

_Great. They still don't trust you. What's it gonna take?_

"I'd probably have to put cameras in my bathroom, twenty four hour surveillance," I say.

"Not interested in all that," Logan says. Storm drops her hand from his shoulder and walks past Peter and me, ushering him along with her. I don't really want him to leave. He's my only actual friend on the grounds that I'm aware of. Not that I can't handle myself if Logan starts acting like a chump. It's just nice to have someone on your side. Without looking at me, he motions me over to the screen.

"Whatever you're watching looks boring," I tell him.

"It's the mutant's DNA structure. I found a hit in the database, he was one of ours that ran off," Hank says.

"Born with it, here to control it an' make it more powerful. Went apeshit though, I dunno if we can rein him back in," Logan says. I stare at the screen. It makes slightly more sense than Nev's hacking puzzles, but not much.

"Perhaps if we found a way to negate the acceleration of his fire powers, he would stabilise. The powers weren't advancing like this prior to the sabotage," Hank says after several minutes of silence.

"All that makes me want to do is douse him in gasoline," I say, bored.

"Print that,' Logan says to Hank, motioning at the screen. Hank looks over at the printer, watching pictures of the DNA and various codes I don't understand transfer into ink on paper. He looks up at Logan, irritated with him as he yanks the paper away from the machine. He shoves it at me.

"Be useful, take this to Oro. Tell her to prepare tests 2, 3, and 7." He doesn't look at me, just sort of shoos me on. Helping sure is its own reward isn't it? I don't actually remember what direction they took off in, so I pull my phone out to text Peter. As I'm trying to navigate based on his sloppy directions, another message pops up. I'm almost there, so I close the notice and keep going. I feel a hand grab my arm, and I drop my phone ready to swing at whatever it is. A fast reaction keeps me from succeeding. Spider fast.

"You passed the door," he says calmly. I scoop my phone up to read the message I'd discarded earlier, holding the papers out to him. He frowns as he looks it over. "Any tests?"

"237 of them," I answer. "No, wait. Well, 2, 3, and 7 were in my instructions. He wasn't really letting me help. Y'know, I'm just gonna go. I tried. I'm not gonna knock myself out for him," I say, trying to now read my directions backwards.

_They didn't make sense going forward, how are they going to make sense going backwards?_

"I dunno, I'll figure it out." Peter's already disappeared back into the room with Storm, so I'm on my own. I got this. I can do it. I check the message I'd previously ignored. Nev asking when I'll be back and if she should take up Maria's offer of picking up food for her. I tell her I'm on my way. I don't tell her I'm partially lost.

The funny thing about being lost is that when you see something familiar, no matter how much you hate the thing, you're thrilled to see it. In this case, I don't think Logan was aware I'd gotten turned around more times than I'd ever admit. So he was pretty confused when I hugged him and told him how wonderful it was to see him.

"Ya just saw me, ya ding dong," he growls, shoving me off. "Where you headed anyway?"

"I came here to help and you got me lost with a paper I may have delivered to a doppelganger. This place is huge, I dunno what's down there and I think I'll just keep it that way," I say.

"You don't understand any of the tests and protocols here. You admitted you got lost tryin'a deliver that paper," Logan says dryly. "What kinda help you think you can give us?"

"Well, if you took three minutes of your precious celebrity time to give me a once-over-lightly, I could probably be at least an extra set of hands for you. See, all that garbage Rogers spewed about 'part of the team', this is exactly why I didn't believe him. Anyway, you clearly don't need or want my help. So I'm going home. Want anything before I'm out the door?" I note the guilty expression that's fallen over his face.

"Well, actually, I could-"

"You don't, ok, great. Good luck with your mutant, don't let Parker name him!" I call with a wave as I head for the doors. I stand at the curb for a moment, a little disoriented. "Ok, where's the car?"

_We walked here._

"God damn it." I start the hike back towards the SHIELD tower. I really had actually wanted to help. Got my hopes up and got burned. Again. This is why I don't like listening to them when they say I'm part of the team now. I'm not. I likely won't ever be. It's ok.

_It's not ok._

"We deal with it. No big thing," I sigh as I stroll in. I'm greeted with Fury and a handful of his personal crew in the lobby, looking ready for a mission. Nev glances at me, but it's brief, and she looks back to Fury.

"..for the weekend. Not gonna leave any silly notes about how I want y'all to run this place, you know your job, do it. Just gonna do some talks, sign some papers, get the hell outta there. Politics," he explains, sounding bored. Fury looks at me as I take my place next to Nev, who turns to me with that protective look again. Fury makes a hand motion. "Y'all clear out. I'll be there in a sec." He waits til everyone's left.

"I don't expect anything big to happen. If it does, an' they call you in – you ain't listenin' to me, just don't try to blow yourself up again," he says.

"I was listening. You said you'll be gone ALL weekend?" I ask slowly.

"Whatever you're gonna ask next, no." He gives Nev a look as she giggles. "No to you too, you can't ask for him."

"I wasn't going to," she says. "You're just still really defensive and it's funny." His expression softens to what I think might be a smile and he gives her a hug.

"I'll be back Monday morning," he says.

"You've been gone before, and two days isn't very long, I'll be ok," she says.

"I never left you unsupervised for two days with- Ow, ok, ok," he chuckles at her. I know what he was going to say. She did too. I have no idea what she did to disarm him like that, the way they interact… I wish Fury were like this more. Nev watches til he's out of sight before turning to me.

"I don't really care what he says. About what we can do with him gone, I mean." She looks around, suddenly conscious of how many people are around. Her hand slips into mine. "Car. Little more private." We settle into the front seat, and I start it only to get the heater going for her. "Considering our status, we live modestly. Relative to… Anyway, two story, heated, all the cartoon channels, and my bed is plenty big enough for two." Her expression, devious and suggestive, makes it very impossible to say no.

_Fury's house! Think of all the dirt we can get on him! I bet he has pink wallpaper and flowers on his furniture. And security cameras. He'll see. When has that ever stopped you? Do you respect him now?!_

"As long as he won't gut me and string my guts around his Christmas tree… I don't see why not. Beats my place by a lot," I say, smiling under my mask. Nev's grinning.

"Let's get food and take it back to the house. My room is a train wreck enough that I don't care if we eat in there," she says, settling back into the seat. "I'd also like to note that whoever invented and made working seat warmers is my favourite person."

* * *

We grab food, stop by my place so I can grab a couple things, and she starts directing me to her place. The house looks like something from a magazine. Brick, huge elaborate entrance, spotless and stylized furnishings. There is a massive Christmas tree in one corner, which makes me just a little nervous. But Nev's already scurrying up the stairs to her room, and I follow, sorta curious about what her room will look like.

_I don't know what you were expecting, but I bet it wasn't this._

Her walls are a soft purple, but covered in posters. Movie posters, zombie posters, cult cartoon posters, horse posters, dragon posters, and a Doctor Who poster which makes me smile. A shelf lines an entire wall, and there are model horses along the entire thing. There are bamboo shades over her windows, the bed sheets are dark red, she has a TV with a DvD/Blu Ray player next to it, a fancy looking computer with games and empty soda cans strewn around the desk, and two massive book cases, one full of books and the other of DvDs. The floor is also littered with stuffed animals and clothes.

"I don't get a lot of people over. I don't clean much," she admits. I shrug.

"You're acting like you don't remember what my place looks like," I say, standing at the door awkwardly. She pulls her hair tie out and gives her dead leaf brown a fluff as it cascades down her back. She motions to her bed.

"Promise nothing in here will eat you," she says with a laugh. I sit at the foot of the bed, and she steps out of her shoes to sit next to me, legs pulled under her. She sets the remote next to me. "I mean it. ALL the cartoon channels. And don't give me this 'Ugh grow up and watch generic sit coms' garbage." And this is our date. Eating Taco Bell and watching cartoons and laughing at them and our own commentary. It's almost two in the morning when she starts looking ready to crash. I shut her TV off, and she turns to me, still trying to keep her eyes open.

"Been a rough day, probably for us both." I pause and look behind me at her bed. She lets out a breath and slides off her bed, going to her closet to change. The impact of my words don't actually hit until I've gotten into bed with her, pulled her close and felt her try to get as close as she can.

"What happened?" she asks.

"Hm?"

"Rough day? Why, what happened?"

_Wolvie hurt our wittle feelings._

"It was more than that," I sigh. "Peter dragged me to the stupid school. I was kinda looking forward to helping, and Logan just shrugged me off. So I threw it back in his face and he looked guilty, and I didn't feel bad. I still don't. Not about that anyway. But Rogers said… You know, there's a reason I didn't want to hear them say all that crap," I pout, squeezing Nev and closing my eyes. "A couple weeks before you came along, I saved this lady. And she wanted to do that "kiss for the hero" shit. Typical story book shit. Then she got my mask off." Nev turns over, looking at me. She puts a hand on my face, her finger tips just ghosting over my horrifyingly disfigured skin. I have to try really hard to not pull away from her.

"That's not something I want you to worry about anymore. I know there isn't a light switch, you can't just turn it off. Like when people tell you, 'just try thinking about happy things!' What is that supposed to actually do? Like, 'My word, I NEVER thought of that! THANK GOD you came along and told me, my depression and insecurities are magically cured!' I know it doesn't work like that. But look." She stops, sighs. With the thoughts I'm having, I immediately anticipate her saying something bad. I lower my head, keeping my eyes down. But she tilts my face back up, fingers under my chin, and she kisses me.

_Gotta say, this beats talking._

"Don't let this keep you up. We'll deal with it tomorrow. For now, you've got someone who genuinely thinks the world and the moon of you." I look back at her.

"Not the rest of the solar system? You can exclude Pluto if that helps, I guess it got kicked out." It makes her laugh instead of looking so worried. Her smile makes me smile, and I nuzzle into the crook of her neck and kiss whatever skin I can reach. Another giggle, a little more breathy.

"I love you."

"Ich liebe dich."

* * *

 **Off Topic Note;** I went to an anime con to meet someone who never showed. I was really upset about it. Someone was coming in as I was going out, and they held the door open for me. I looked up glumly to say a quick thanks... and it was Deadpool. Just standing there in a suit with his goofy wonderful mask. I yanked out my plush Knitpool and asked if he loved his mini me. He said it was him, of course he loved his smaller self! I told him his suit and mask looked great (they did! And I was so nervous and flustered!), and told him I was going to hug him. He opened his arms and he sure hugged me like he knew a Deadpool hug was just what I needed. And then I didn't get a picture but this Deadpool, this door holding, suited, hugging Deadpool. Whoever that cosplayer was, I hope he's having a perfect life.


	27. Now The Lights Are Fading Faster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this is the last hiccup for Wade.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a line from the song Paralysis by Young The Giant. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

We take the entire weekend to roll around in bed, watch cartoons, play video games, and eat junk food. I don't remember the last time I got to be a real person. Our vacation is due to end today, though. Mondays. Worst days. Awful. I dunno what time it is, but I don't want to get up. I don't want Nev to get up either, and I pull her closer against me as I squeeze my eyes shut tighter.

"M'not going anywhere. Stop trying to smush my organs. I need most of them," Nev says quietly, her hands moving to cover mine as we resettle together.

"What time is Fury supposed to be back?" I ask, my chin resting atop her head.

"Not sure. Maybe like ten or something? They'll call me," she says. "'Course, having a holiday like this, now I'm going to hate going back in. I'll be all lazy and out of practice."

"You'll be happy to see him," I say.

_You will too, he almost sorta likes you. That's good, powerful and likes you._

"And I will too," I add.

"Yeah. I'm used to him taking trips like this but I'm always glad when he comes back." She rolls over, tucking her head under my chin and draping an arm over me. "But I am going to miss having no responsibilities and spending the day doing nothing."

"Doing each other," I say, smirking. She dissolves into giggles and clings to me, trying to regain control of herself.

I grin at her, at the sound of her laugh and the broadness of her smile, but I don't say anything, just tilt her head up to kiss her. And in response, she pushes me onto my back and smiles against my lips as she seductively runs her hand down my front to the hem of my boxers.

_Mm, yes please._

* * *

"Wade… we should really consider getting up and getting dressed." She shifts to get up but I hold her body snugly to mine.

"No. Five more minutes." I bury my face in her hair. She laughs softly, resting her hand over mine. "I'm happy here."

"I am too. We just need to go pretend we're responsible adults for a few hours. And then we can go right back to hiding in bed," she says, trying to look over her shoulder at me. I shift us so I can at least kiss her. And when our lips part, she slips from my arms and out of bed.

"Liebe… They didn't even call yet," I pout as I watch her walk, sans clothes of any kind, to her closet. Even in her dimly lit room, she seems to glow. Her hair falls down her back in a straight sheet, accentuating her curves by contrast. She's gorgeous.

"I know. They're going to, it's ten now, so we'll just show up and save them the trouble," she says, stumbling into a pair of jeans and yanking a shirt with the logo of some obscure band on. "Gonna brush my teeth, at least act like you want to put clothes on." She comes to me again, cradling my face in her hands and kissing me gently before hurrying off to finish readying herself. I drag myself out of her bed and slowly pull on a suit that I think may possibly be clean.

_You have eighty suits, finding a clean one shouldn't be an issue._

"It is when I haven't gotten 'em cleaned lately," I grumble, making another note to get them all sent off. I stand in the middle of her room, bag packed up, not sure what to do. Nev reappears, hair in a messy bun and shoes on, very ready to get going.

"Don't look so bummed. It's not like the sleep overs are stopping," she says, subtly motioning me to head out with her. "We're just taking them back to your place."

"My place smells funny," I say.

"My place smells like house hold cleaning products, except my room which smells like whatever off-the-wall air freshener I fancy at the time of purchase and often whatever food I had the night before," she says with a shrug.

"You have central heating," I argue as she locks the door behind us.

"You ARE my central heating," she giggles as we close the car doors. I smile under my mask.

Our joy is short lived. As soon as we pull up to SHIELD HQ, it's obvious something's not right. People are rushing in and out of the building. Cars I recognize and cars I don't are parked in every available spot, forcing me to park a block over.

"Something went wrong," Nev says, worry clouding her face. I frown.

_She's right._

"I'm sure it's nothing they can't handle," I offer. She looks at me with a look I don't like.

"Oh, is this the part where I lie? No, hey, everything's fine. Obviously they're having a car convention and forgot to give us a flier," I say. She hesitates at the door. "Everything's fine." She steps inside. I know she doesn't believe me because I don't believe me.

It's chaos. People are on phones and other phones are ringing and people are running and shouting. Someone calls out that we're here and Maria comes racing towards us. She grabs Nev, who digs in and doesn't move.

"Nev, you need to come with me," she says, sounding shaken. Nev reaches blindly for my hand, to pull me along with her. She squeezes my fingers. She's scared.

_So are you. They don't ever panic like this. And shouldn't Fury be back? Unless…_

"Where's my dad?" she asks, her voice suggesting she knows the answer.

"Fury was… intercepted," Maria says slowly.

_Find the rescue team. Now. Get on that team._

"I'll go get a spot on the team," I say hurriedly, and I try to pull away from Nev who tightens her grip on my hand.

"Wade, don't leave," her voice breaks, but I'm already turned to go towards the lift, and I don't look back at her. I won't be able to go if I see her face now.

"Nev, we need to talk about-" I cut Maria off.

"Listen," I start, feeling my shoulders sag as I struggle to keep myself together.

_This is better for her, for you, for everyone. You have to be the one to do this._

"Who do you want out there getting him and his team back? Some ragtag group of slobs in dress suits, or me?" I ask, sincerely doubting that I'm up for this job. I feel her hug me. I turn to hold her, squeezing her. "I can get him back for you. For everyone. I'll bring the team back and I'll be with 'em. I love you."

"The last time you said that, you tried to explode yourself. I'll say it when you get back," she says. She's trying to smile, failing miserably at hiding her feelings. She's shaking. Her eyes are glassy. She pushes my mask up to kiss me, her taste making me dizzy and I question if I really want to do this. She presses herself to me as she breaks the kiss, then disappears with Hill off to God knows where. I pull my mask back down and rush for the lift.

I take it up to the Rescue Team Floor and stand outside the conference room. As I expected. The dress suits are going over protocol and rules and regulations oh my God, this will never work. We don't have time for me to rush in blindly to rescue everyone as fast as I can so we certainly don't have time for their damn rules. There's only one person I can think of who works away from SHIELD enough to help me. I hurry back to the lift and go up three more floors, praying Nate's in his office. He is.

_Wow. You're sure lucky today._

"Can't afford to let it run out. Nate, help." He looks up from the papers in front of him. "Get a jet, a giant eagle, I don't care, let's-"

"They have a team working in it, Wade," he says coldly. I frown.

"Shut up about their God damned slow as shit inefficient team. Get something that flies. You and me are going in." He sets the papers down and gives an exasperated sigh. I fold my arms over my chest. I'm not budging. We're doing it my way.

"Why do you want to do this so badly?"

"Nev. She's… I can't let this happen to her. You realize she already lost a set of parents, I'm not gonna let her lose the only family she has."

"Of course." Nate reaches for his phone, types something to someone. "I'm going to let you have it your way, to an extent. Sit, Wade." He gestures at the chair across from him. I do as he asks.

_He's gonna propose something you don't like but you won't have a choice. Just agree to whatever he says._

"We have very different styles, you and I." He pauses, shuffling through the papers.

"Yeah, your style is boring and mine would make a great comic series," I say. He doesn't react. I wait, knowing not to push my luck.

"I was going to approach you about this. I'm glad you aren't taking Nev, or insisting on it. You've matured in that regard, being so attached." I laugh at him.

"I spent my weekend off figuratively glued to her. Was gonna try literally but I though that'd get awkward," I say, leaning back.

"In any case, I'm going to need her to hack into the camera systems. I need eyes inside that aren't in a body," he says. I look at him, but he's looking at his papers.

"She's afraid. It's her dad, I mean…" I sigh. He nods.

"She'll be fine. She can do this." Hs phone buzzes at him, and he checks it. "Come on, Wade. They'll meet us on the roof."

"Do you even know where he is?" I ask. "Or who did it? Or why? Or if they have ice cream there? Wait, hang on, train of thought got derailed."

"He's in Morocco, some unremarkable terrorist group disguised brilliantly as an anti-terrorism pro-mutant ally group, they want leverage against us to force us to imprison and likely dispose of the mutants, and I'm sure they have ice cream in Morocco," he answers, catering to me in an attempt to keep me at least calm enough to handle myself. His aviation vehicle is on the roof, all stealthed out and ready. "Under your seat," he says as the jet lifts off. I reach under and pull out a small duffel bag.

"Wussat? Doesn't look like ice cream," I say, opening it.

"Enough with the ice cream. It's a disguise. I told you that we're only doing it your way to a point. Going in, we're doing it my way."

_Don't argue with him. That'd be useless. You know not to argue with Nate. Maybe a gentle suggestion?_

"Ok, your way sounds great and boring, but what if we-"

"Went in with guns blazing? That would be a quick way to turn the rescue mission into a body retrieval. We're doing it my way. Once you're in and where you need to be, you can do it however you want," he says.

"Fury is obviously goal number one. If I can get him out, he can help me get the rest of the team out and all we hafta do then is just get everyone on a big plane back here," I say. "Pretty obvious plan, Nate. Not sure why the suits aren't doing this."

"They have prot-"

"No, no and fucking no. On a case this big, you throw the rules out the window," I say sharply.

"And pay for it in paperwork," he reminds me.

"What's more important, draining the ink out of a Bic pen or Fury's life? I may not always have the best ideas or the straightest priorities but God damn it I am not letting the one man who keeps us together get his head lopped off because some ass kissing suit wants to do everything by the books," I say, feeling heated. Nate is silent. He knows I'm right. I pull my phone from my pocket and give Nev a call.

"Can you come back downstairs?" her voice shakes.

"Well, uh, see I'm sorta over the ocean right now," I say.

"Bad time to go on holiday, Wade," she says, trying to sound like she's ok.

"Listen. I got Cable with me and we're gonna handle this. Kinda covert, but we just do not have time to do this any other way. When we get to where Fury is, I'll text you what camera system the building is using. I need you to hack the system and screw with their vision. You need to be my eyes, ok?" I tell her. She sniffles.

"Like at the mansion?"

"Yeah, but no oversized rabid mutant's gonna bash your door in, unless Hulk gets bit by a raccoon," I promise. She giggles.

"Ok. Just… Make sure you both get out. I don't want either of you to fall behind," she says.

"He'll haul me back to you and make me pay for breaking regulations, don't worry," I assure her.

"I'll help you carry your punishment," Nev offers. I laugh a little.

"I'll text you when I get there, 'cause I'm gonna hafta to be quiet once I get in," I tell her, letting her know now so she won't worry.

"Of course." We're quiet. "I love you, Wade." My eyes close and I drop my head into my free hand.

"Ich liebe dich, Nev." I hear her hang up but sit there with the phone to my ear replaying the sound of her voice for a minute or so before pocketing it.

_She wasn't going to say it til we got back. An omen?_

"No. Just her being her. Not gonna worry."

"Are you actually afraid, Wilson?" Nate asks, sounding confused.

"Yeah, I'm scared shitless. What if I don't get to Fury in time? What if I get him killed? But I have a way to plow through that. I'm terrified, but I can be brave for her."


	28. A Beautiful Dance That Happened By Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade is almost ready, just missing one Fury that he's about to go get.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them.  
The chapter title is a line from the song Bones by Ms Mr. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

"Wade. Wake up. Let's get moving." I shove myself up and start to drag myself off the jet. "Hold on. Take the duffel bag with you." I force my eyes open and try to focus on Cable. "Tonight, if you would." He shoves the duffel at my chest. I carry it off the jet with me, following him out into the middle of Butt Fuck Egypt.

_No, I think you're in Arabia. Or something. No, something with an M._

"Are we in Maraca? Isn't that an instrument?"

"Morocco, Wade." Cable pulls out a set of blueprints and unrolls it in front of us. I take the other end and glance over it. I don't see anything familiar. "Fury's in this room. Second floor."

"How do you know? You been in there?" I ask, confused.

"GPS, Wade. You think he doesn't have a hundred trackers on him?" Cable snaps. "In that duffel is an outfit and a badge that'll get you through all their security points. Once you've got Fury, radio me. I have back up waiting for the word to shoot, and we will cover you as you and Fury make your escape. We'll get you into the jet, and I'll fly back with my crew."

"That is dreadfully boring good sir, and I refuse," I tell him, crossing my arms.

_Play along. Get in, do it your way. He can't stop you at that point._

"Actually, can I aks you a question? Why am I going in, alone? If you have backup, why aren't we just bumrushing this place?" I pry. He looks at me like I'm stupid.

"I'm trying to be less conspicuous than that," he says slowly.

"Yeah, but you just roll in with your posse and say you're back from some mission. I'm sure they'd never notice you," I tell him, slinging an arm around his shoulders. He pushes it away.

"No. We draw more attention, and if their attention's on me, it won't be on you and Fury. The whole point is for you to not be noticed until the absolute last minute. This will be clean and quick, assuming you can keep to the plan," he continues.

_He's smart._

"You're so smart. Ten points for you," I say, patting his arm. I rummage through the duffel bag and yank the ninja suit out. It's black with an obnoxious logo on the right shoulder. The pants are covered in pockets. The mask covers the nose and mouth, but not the eyes. Studying it, I decide it should fit over my suit. I shed my weapons and my holsters, toss all but my two swords into the jet, and step into the pants. "These suits are painfully generic. Good thing these guys are terrorists and not fashion designers. If I could do their uniforms, they'd all be wearing taco suits. Or maybe princess gowns, tough call."

"Get the damn suit on and get in there. I'll be right behind you. Just radio me when you're ready," Cable says, pulling his own poorly designed suit on. I pull my mask off, stash it in one of the pockets. New mask on. Swords on back. As many weapons as will fit in the various pockets. I should be able to just slip in, grab their prize catch, and skip out holding hands with Fury singing Ring Around the Rosie.

"What direction?" I ask. I don't actually see anything. He points, and really it just looks like he's chosen some random direction.

"That way. Get into town, it's the only two story building. Do it my way. I will be there soon after you, so don't think you can-"

"Would you interrupt any Deadpoolifications I'm in the middle of? Would you risk us getting taken too, just to punish me for not using your plan? I love Nev, and by extension I guess I like Fury. I won't get him killed because I have her to think of," I almost yell, annoyed with Cable's stern 'do it my way' bullshit. He stares at me.

"Done?" is all he asks. I nod. "You're different when you do things for other people, Wade. You focus on them to the point you forget about your own safety. You can't die, but they can-"

"Torture, kill repeatedly, blablah. Start walking in a general that way direction, find the town, infiltrate the two story building. I'll do it whatever way gets Fury out alive." I start walking away from Cable. "Stop me if you think I should do otherwise." He doesn't follow me. I knew he wouldn't. I pull my phone out as I walk. 1 bar's worth of signal. I send Nev a text, to comfort us both.

_**What does Captain America put in his drink?** _

**Is this going to be a bad pun?**

_**Just-ice** _

**Damn it Wade. Lol.**

I pull the battery out of my phone and stash it. I can't risk it going off. I fumble for the badge as the town appears in the distance. I didn't even look at the dumb badge. I didn't think I'd be using it, but I'm getting a new plan that does actually involve briefly using the badge. I do have a code to uphold. Fuck with one of my own, I fuck you.

_Wait, what?_

Scratch that. I flash the badge to get in the door. They don't even look at me. People are milling around, doing whatever job they have.

"Listen up, assbutts!" I yell. Everyone stops. Eyes on me.

_Are they offended? Do they speak English?_

"Good question. You speak English? Nick Fury. Give to me, I leave, you no die. Capiche?" They swarm me, shouting in Not English, taking both of my blades and the holster from my shoulders. They shove me to the ground, and I can feel them tying my ankles and wrists together.

_You don't even know if this will work._

"Of course it will, when do my plans ever fail?" I receive a sharp kick to my jaw for speaking and spit out a mouthful of blood. I can already feel myself healing. The men heave me up and start dragging me further into the building, finally stopping at a door that's being guarded by two very large men. The guards exchange words with my captors before opening the door. I'm thrown in, and I roll backwards until I hit the wall. "Watch it! Precious cargo!" I snap at them. One of the guards fires a warning shot at me before closing the door.

"Wilson... Do I even want to open my eyes and see what the hell you've done?" Fury asks. He's tied up too, but he's in a chair at an interrogation table.

"How come you get a chair?" I joke, trying to swing my arms under me so I can them in front of me rather than behind. I push my hands down the front of my pants.

"Have you completely lost it? I don't think now's the time," Fury snaps. I pull a small blade from the pocket I'd sewn into my boxers and cut the ties around my wrists, then my ankles. "Slick. I'm gonna bet this wasn't the official retrieval plan, though."

"Nah. It wasn't even Cable's plan. I guess his plan was ok but it was so boring. I didn't get to add anything to it, I was just supposed to follow it like a good little boy. Which I never do. Boy, he's gonna be so mad at me," I laugh as I cut Fury free.

"You know this is against protocol," he says, straightening his jacket. There's a loud bang on the door and some yelling.

"Yeah well, I bet this is too. You know I don't really care for protocol and generally don't make a habit of following it. So start keeping a list. Hey, ya God damned flapjack! If you don't want us talking, come in here and make us stop!" I taunt.

"You're lucky I'm armed," Fury sighs at me. The door opens and both the guards rush in. I have one little blade, Fury's got a little hand gun. A perfect headshot drops one guard, a clean throat slice drops the other. We aren't free yet. We're stopped in the hall by one smaller fella with two guns, and two bigger fellas with two guns between them.

"I'm sorry, man. Gotta say, I ain't signin' no damn contract," Fury says, drawing another gun who the hell knows where and logging a bullet in the little guy's head. I move to kill the other two, I see them fire, I can hear it, but I don't know if they hit anything. As we're running down the stairs I catch Fury holding his left shoulder with his right hand.

"You ok bro?"

"Just grazed me. And I'm not your bro," he says.

"Also where'd you get the guns? How'd they miss two guns?" I ask.

"You really wanna go down that road with me?" he asks, grinning mischievously.

"No sir, I do not," I answer honestly. He laughs, shooting at someone to our side. "This place is guarded about as well as my house and I gotta tell ya, sometimes I don't lock it cuz I'm too lazy to unlock it later," I tell him.

"Oh, did you miss the fuckin' big ass town you wandered through on your way here? The one that surrounds this building on all sides?" he asks.

"Yeah probably," I say. "I mean, little desert town, what could they-" The back wall caves in. Fury cusses. I yank him along with me, trying to keep him from getting killed.

"They got that, apparently. Did you just run here with no plan at all?" he asks, sounding annoyed.

"Not sure now is a good time for scolding me," I say, trying to, in this mess, find what they did with my gear.

"The hell you lookin' for? They had me, nothing else. They marched out my men into the desert and came back without 'em, if that's what you're trying to figure out," he tells me.

"Nah, my gear. If I can get to it... Hey look, maybe it's in that room they're serving fresh guns from," I say, leaping over the railing to the bottom floor. I hear Fury follow suit, and hear him reload his gun.

"Duck, Wade," Fury says.

"Quack," I answer, crouching low so he can shoot whatever he's targeting. The men at the supply closet turn to fire, I take a bullet in my leg that I think just shattered my femur but I charge them anyway, killing a few and moving into the weapons room.

"Anything good?" Fury yells. "Be quick!" I toss him a gun with a hefty magazine. He takes it and sprays whatever he has in front of him with ammo. My swords are in here, and I hurriedly arm myself before joining him. There aren't a lot of men here, but they are streaming in from somewhere at a steady pace.

"You son of a bitch, Wilson!" I hear Cable yell from across the building.

"You didn't follow his plans, you know better," Fury says, and Cable's crew steamroll over everything in their path, coming to us. They flank us, then just surround us completely. Fury and I move perfectly back to back, though we're surrounded by so many people we couldn't take any shots if we wanted to.

"Gotta say, Cable's effective," I say.

"I wish I could say more effective than you, but I think you shaved an hour off my plan by doing it your way," Cable says loudly. We're hurrying out of the city, we outnumber and outgun everyone here. They weren't expecting to be ambushed. I was counting on that, though. Cable and his entourage are suddenly shoving Fury and me onto the jet, telling us to hurry and get settled so we can get out of here. They have transport, they say. Right behind us, no more than an hour.

"Did you plan that?" Fury asks. I shake my head.

"No. I counted on a few key things like us out numbering them and us having more weapons."

"Did you have a back up plan?"

"No." I wait for Fury to keep asking me questions. He's quiet.

"Who were you doin' this for?" he presses, voice soft. I look from him to the darkness out the window.

"You. Nev. Me. Everyone. I don't exactly see a loser in this, do you?" I ask. "I wanna be good enough for you. For her. You know she was supposed to help us on this mission. Maybe she woulda if I hadn't screwed the plan all up."

"Wouldn't say you screwed it up. You saved me, no one coulda saved the crew I came in with," he says. "You did everything you could and you did it mostly alone. Shit, I'm not even gonna worry about the damn protocol." He pulls out his phone and starts going through his contacts for a number, then looks over at me. "Why don't you talk to Guinevere and give her the good news yourself?" He holds his phone out to me, and I can hear that it's ringing. I take it and wait for her to answer.

"Dad?! Are you ok? I haven't heard from Wade yet, he went out to get you himself but I haven't heard from him," she sounds panicked. "Are you ok? You're ok right?"

"I done lost my other eye, now I'm blinder'n Cap'n 'Merica in a pop culture reference convention-" He yanks the phone away, glaring at me, but I can hear Nev laughing anyway.

"As you can hear, he's fine. For now. And I do not sound like that," he growls at me. "We're on our way back now. I was trying to be nice and let Wade tell you..." I zone out. I'll talk to her when I see her. Shouldn't be too long. I sort of hear Fury and Nev end their conversation in the background. I keep up my 'I'm not listening' act, but Fury knows better and tells me,

"She really loves you, Wade. And I'm happy to see her with someone that makes her feel like that."


	29. Trust In The Promising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pft, like I'd give this a sad ending.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, nor am I affiliated with them in any way. All characters (aside from Nev, Rexgar, Gaerna, and Tarom) are not of my creation, and I have no rights to them. The chapter title is a slightly modified line in the Death Cab for Cutie song 'We Laugh Indoors'. I am not affiliated with the band in any way and hold no rights to the song.**

* * *

My eyes are half closed in hazy exhaustion as I try to follow Fury and his people down the stairs. We landed on the roof, where the planes are "supposed to be", even though I pointed out that crashing into the floor we needed would have been faster. Something about clean up and money and people getting maimed. Like any of that ever stopped me from doing anything.

_It usually just spurs you on. That's when it gets fun._

"I'll be back to help with all this mess. I'm going to see Guinevere, promised her she'd be my first stop," I hear Fury telling his group. I vanish. Dart up a couple flights of stairs so he doesn't see me. I don't want anything to do with the clean up process, I just want to grab Nev and go home. No fucking paperwork or answering questions or getting yelled at for going against orders... I'm just over it. I wasn't expecting this little adventure, and I'm ready to forget about it.

_Until you need a favour, then you can remind Fury you saved his life._

"Geez, combine that with Nev having my back and I might actually get that T-Rex with a machine gun riding a shark that has laser eyes." Fury starts walking, likely thinking I'm still right behind him.

"Wilson, if you- Wilson? WADE?! Sonofa..." He sighs, frustrated, and continues down the stairs. I slink my way down behind him, silent, following him to find Nev. I catch the door he heads through, slipping past and staying just far enough behind to not be noticed. She's sitting on a bench, reading, a window to her right, offering a look at the falling snow. Nev greets Fury excitedly, he's smiling and hugs her. He looks so... happy. I never see him happy.

_Of course not, hardly anyone's ever happy to see you._

"I was gonna bring Wilson with me, but he ran off to who the hell knows where," he says irritably. "Probly thought I was gonna make him deal with the papers and the endless interview we'll be getting from the council."

"Are they even aware he was there?" she asks. He shakes his head.

"I'm sure as shit not telling them. The fewer people involved, the faster it's closed up," he sighs. "Anyway, if you see him, you two should head out. Snow's just gonna get worse."

"What about you?" Nev inquires. He shrugs.

"By the time I get all this cleared up, the snow will have come, trapped us in, and melted away again," he grumbles. She laughs. It's such a pretty sound. I missed it. "You think I'm kidding." She's still smiling when he hugs her again. "Find that idiot and get out of here. Gimme a call so I know you made it, alright?"

_He called you an idiot, and she's just laughing. Nice._

"I'll heckle her for it later." Fury walks right passed where I'm hiding. As soon as he gets into the elevator – I take note that he'll go down, but not up, the stairs – I slip from around the corner, intending to go up behind her to grab her, hold her. But I stop, watching her instead. She's looking out the window, open book in her lap. A lock of hair she'd missed in braiding her hair back frames one side of her face, and she brushes it back behind her ear as she turns back to her book. I move in behind her, pull her close to me, and rest my chin on her shoulder, scanning the pages of her book. I have no idea what she's reading.

"Hallo, meine liebe."

"I knew you were close," she says quietly, leaning back into me, a smile in her voice.

"Yeah, so you know I heard about that whole "idiot" thing, and didn't hear you stand up for me. Thanks," I tease as she closes the book and twists in my arms to face me. Giggling, she lifts my mask enough to kiss me. I don't care how often our lips meet, I'm sure I'll melt every time, just like I am now.

"We can settle this at your place. I don't want to get stuck here, and I'm at least 3% sure you don't either," Nev states as she manages to escape my hold. She stands and grabs her book. "My coat's at the front desk. Well, it's your coat, but I'm wearing it. So it's mine."

"Wait, they let you keep your stuff there? They never let me," I pout.

"Wade, there's a difference between a coat and an armful of weapons," she says pointedly.

"Ok but it's only half an armload. The rest is explosives. Some not exactly safely contained," I argue.

"Wow. That's even worse. Thanks." She takes her coat, my coat, the coat, from the evil little gremlin that sits at the desk and shrugs it on before we step outside.

"Well, I don't see the issue. This building, the crew in it, aren't they set up to handle stuff like that?" I continue.

"Yes, but you aren't supposed to blow them up on purpose."

"No, not on purpose, on accident. And let's be real, those happen around me all the time. Literally everything I do is an accident that I accidentally make work for me."

_Like falling in love with her?_

"Like falling in love with me?" Nev doesn't look at me, she's turning the heat on as we settle into the car.

"Yeah. Being totally honest. I was trying really hard not to because this stuff doesn't end well for me, ever. And when I realised I had anyway, I was scared." I hold my breath, waiting for her. Watching the snow. Snowflakes melting on the windshield.

"Are you glad?" Nev takes my hand. "Because I am." I let the breath out. "Maybe I only liked you because it upset me to see you feeling so left out, and seeing others take advantage of it. Maybe it was only empathy, or sympathy, whatever that falls into. I don't like seeing people hurt, especially when it's so unfairly dished out. You've never shown me any reason why anyone should treat you like that. What you did show me was every reason why I should, and do, love you." I look down at our hands. "So, tell me. Are you glad you fell in love?"

"Yeah." I squeeze her hand. "I am. I wouldn't call it an accident now. It was at the time. See, this is what I mean. I made it work and now it looks like it was my plan all along. And as happy as I am now, as much as I do love you, that's what everyone's gonna think," I say slowly. She leans over and kisses my cheek.

"Drive, you mushball. I don't want to be trapped in this car any more than I wanna be trapped in that building."

* * *

It's warm, here in bed. With Nev. Dark, and very warm despite the snowstorm raging outside and the pale light filtering in through the window giving the feeling that it should be cold. I gently untangle my legs from hers and get out of bed, walk as silently as I can to the bathroom. When I re-enter the room, she's still save for her breathing, bundled under the blanket, and I'm almost afraid to risk disturbing her. I sit on the edge of the bed, on her side of the mattress, looking out at the snow. I don't know how long I sit there, spaced out, before I feel Nev stir behind me.

_You woke her up, you oaf._

Her arms wrap around me, around my shoulders, and I feel her cheek press against mine. I reach up and cover her hands with my own. She settles behind me, knees spread to get closer, front pressed to back. Her skin is a comforting fire. Our breathing syncs.

"I used to hate snow. Cold, hard to drive in, hard to walk in, then it melts and refreezes making an even bigger mess, then it gets dirty as it sits and you can't even pretend it's pretty anymore," I tell her, my voice barely above a whisper. "You've made me appreciate a lot of things I used to take for granted." I feel her nuzzle against my cheek again. "Living is probably the biggest thing."

"I'm glad. I appreciate you living, too," she whispers back, stroking the skin of my chest with her thumb. "So, this is a happy kind of quiet."

"It is. I'm happy existing, with you, not thinking about anything except that I don't remember when I last felt like this."

"Mm. Well, hopefully it lasts for a very long time." She tugs backwards. "C'mon, lay with me." I turn to her when she lets go. Nev lays back, smiling sleepily. Invitingly. I swing my legs into bed, pull the blanket over us both, settle on my side. Nev's waited for me to get comfortable, and now positions herself almost on top of me. I smile, an actual happy, feeling-good smile, and hold her in place. We're in each others' embrace, where we belong.

"I love you, Guinevere."

"I love you, Wade."


End file.
